


is it gravity, or are we falling in love?

by mels



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, coffee shop AU, explicit content but only in one chapter, more fluff than angst though, mostly fluff tbh bc idk how to write angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-12 10:26:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11735127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mels/pseuds/mels
Summary: Isak works at a coffee shop. There's two things he loves about the morning shift: 1, how beautiful the city is when it's sleeping and 2, avoiding the hot guy who he happens to have a crush on.Until one faithful day, he has no choice but to work with his crush.Inspired bythis coffee shop aubyviki.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, i'm posting my first fanfic - which have been a work in progress since may! i'm very excited to share this with all of you and i hope you will enjoy it.
> 
> the next chapter will be posted tomorrow and after that there will be weekly updates on mondays!
> 
> and, also... a huge thank you two the best two betas in the world, for looking over my fic: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- your constant support, help and honesty is invaluable! without you two this wouldn't have existed. i love you guys so much <3

Isak always starts work at seven on weekends. He’s not the biggest fan of early morning, but he rather wakes up early to get out early than start working later. On school days, though, he mostly works in the afternoon after school. But today is Saturday, which means early morning. While walking his ten minutes down to work, he tries to enjoy the early morning breeze, the first rays of sunshine and the smell of dewy grass. The town is so empty, so calm and it reminds him of why he kind of likes the mornings sometimes - the city is asleep and it's beautiful.

The other reason to why Isak wants to work mornings is a bit embarrassing for him to admit. There's this guy from school that works at the same place as Isak and he hates to admit it, but he's had the biggest crush on this guy since forever. His name is Even. And just thinking about him makes Isak go all warm, sweaty and fuzzy. This is exactly why Isak has avoided working with Even. He just couldn't do it. He wouldn't be able to concentrate.

In school he always avoids the corridors Even walks in and if he sees him coming towards him - which have happened quite a few times - he turns around to walk through another corridor, taking quite a long detour to his next class. It's better to keep it that way, Isak thinks to himself. Though he'd rather be nothing else than close to Even, it makes his mind unclear, his breath heavy and his whole body shake.

And Isak needs to focus on the important things: school and work. He doesn't need some stupid crush, that will probably fade away in a few months, to ruin his chances on an education and his career. But yet he can't stop thinking about that smile on Even's face, how his hair forms up as a cinnamon roll on the top of his head and how his eyes sparkle... fuck. Isak shakes his head. This can't come between him and his plans about education and work. No boy is gonna come between him and his future.

 

He's the first one to arrive at work. The girl he's working with today, Hilda, comes in a bit later, since she's working later than him. The mornings are usually calm, though, not much happens because it's a Saturday and most people are asleep. A few costumers come in, most of them to buy coffee to go, but most of the time he's alone. He doesn't know what to do when there's not customers, so he just sits on a stool and scrolls through apps on his phone. Isak opens up Instagram, to see if any of his friends is up to anything fun but nothing new there.

Though Isak doesn’t dare to look at Even in real life, he has found a way to look at him without Even knowing. Isak started another Instagram account, with an imaginary name, and this has been going on for a few months now. There’s no way Even could figure out who Peter Eriksen is, so Isak thinks he was very clever there. He always likes Even’s pictures, staring dreamingly at his selfies and admiring his photography skills when he posts philosophical nature pictures with some - in Isak’s opinion - lame quote about life. Of course no one else knows about this - it would make him the weirdest kid ever. He logs off his normal Instagram account, to log on to his Peter Eriksen account. The first picture that pops up is Even's. This one is a picture of him with his friends and the caption says:

"Squad goals!" with a crown emoji afterwards.

Isak rolls his eyes and looks away for a short second, but then he can't stop staring at it. He tries to scroll down and look at another picture, but his finger keep moving to the top of the screen. Even looks so good, with his hair in a quiff on his head. His smile is radiant through the screen, his eyes blue and sparkly. Looking at a picture of Even is fine, but it still makes his whole body warm, his cheeks flush and gives him trouble breathing. He has to scroll on, to some other photos because he's getting too emotional about Even's photo.

Isak does follow some other accounts on his fake account, just for this reason - if Even's photos ever get too much for him to look at, he want to have a "safety zone" to go. A few accounts with different photos, nature, actors and animals and lots of random things. These things calm him down, when he gets too warm and aroused. This blond-haired, blue-eyed boy makes him feel a lot of things - and he doesn't even know him. Just by looking at him, Isak feels warm, happy and fuzzy inside. He wants to be near Even, he's drawn towards him and sometimes he kind of hate how much he wants him.

 

Just a few minutes later, Hilda walks in.

"Hello, Isak!" She smiles at him, her hazel eyes sparkling and brown hair tucked up in a messy ponytail on her head.

"Oh, hi!" Isak looks up from his phone to greet her with a smile.

"Everything okay today?" She asks.

"Uh, yeah! It's been calm here this morning, as always..." he says, looking down at his phone again before he puts it away. 

”So, you’ve just been sitting here…” she says but then stops, and it’s as if everything suddenly falls into place for her, you can see it in her eyes. Isak looks at her with an uneasy look. Hilda continues: "Oh, now I know! You’re stalking him again, aren’t you?” she raises one eyebrow and even though she never mentions a name, Isak knows exactly who she’s referring to. Okay, so Hilda is the only one he has told about his secret method to keep track of Even.

”It’s not… it’s not stalking!” he stutters. ”I just… wanna… wanna… keep track of how he’s doing, how his day is going and so on, you know…” he feels his cheeks getting warmer, feeling the change clearly as they turn into a light shade of pink.

”Sure, Isak!” she laughs and it makes Isak frown a bit. ”You know he’s coming in to work later right? You’re not on the same shift, though, but you’re probably gonna meet him at some point. And you’re gonna have to face him, sooner or later, Isak. You can’t just hide from him forever, not here and not in school either.”

”No.. I can avoid him if I want to!” Isak says, very decisive in this, but he also knows that what Hilda is saying is true. It’s starting to get out of proportion and he knows it, though he doesn’t think Even notices and therefor it’s fine.

”Jeez, Isak, you’re unbelievable!” Hilda rolls her eyes. Right then, a costumer comes in and she has to focus on that instead. Isak walks over to the kitchen area of the café, to make some more sandwiches and salads that they sell. He think he’ll be alone for long, but the costumer soon leaves and Hilda is quickly by his side again.

”Why don’t you just talk to him?” she asks, as she helps him put butter on the bread.

”I… can’t! It’s physically impossible. I’ve tried, when we were in the same group at some stupid school thing… but I couldn’t. My mouth was moving, but I couldn’t get any words out.. it was as if they got stuck in my throat. And I had trouble breathing, my heart felt like it was gonna explode and I was seriously sweating buckets of sweat. So, no, I can’t talk to him!” Isak answers, helping Hilda to butter the pieces of bread and then putting some cheese, salad and other vegetables on them.

”Well, if you want any help I’m always up for setting two cute guys up for a date!” she winks at him, which makes him roll his eyes and sigh.

”I can take care of this myself!” Isak snorts, very confidently but his body language says otherwise.

”Okay…” she mumbles in disbelief, making Isak roll his eyes even harder.

 

The clock strikes three and his shift ends.

”Well, I guess I’ll go now then!” He smiles at Hilda.

”Okay, hope you have a great afternoon!” She replies with a smile.

”Thank you, you too!” He nods.

”Are you working tomorrow?” Hilda asks.

”No, I actually have a day off! Which is good, though, because I have a biology assignment that’s due Monday and I really need to finish the last few pages of it.” Isak replies and Hilda only nods at him. ”So, goodbye for now. I guess I’ll see you on Tuesday afternoon…?”

”Yes, Tuesday afternoon it is!” He smiles, as he walks out one of the back doors behind the counter and goes out to the locker room. He open his locker and takes out his ordinary clothes - t-shirt, plaid shirt, jeans and his red snapback - and starts to change. He’s putting on his plaid shirt, when he hears someone behind him.

”Hello!” it’s a familiar sound, though yet a voice that gives him just as much chills down his spine as it makes him hot as hell. It’s Even.

”Hey…” Isak’s voice is low, almost inaudible. His throat tightens, making it hard to breathe  and his heart starts racing. Shit. Why does he have to react like this? He doesn’t want to have this reaction to anyone. Of course, he’d like to have a boyfriend - but not right now. He has to focus - right now he only wants to finish school and get a good job. And no guy is gonna get in the way of that. Even can probably feel the tension, because he doesn’t say anything else and then walks out into the coffee shop. Isak doesn’t realise he’s been holding his breath the whole time, until Even finally leaves and he exhales rapidly. He quickly gathers the rest of his things and leaves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanna say a quick thank you for all your nice comments on the last chapter, it really warmed my heart and i'm glad you all seem to like it! here's the next chapter, as promised, and the next one will be on monday :) love you all! <3
> 
> a huge thank you two the best two betas in the world, for looking over my fic: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- your constant support, help and honesty is invaluable! without you two this wouldn't have existed. i love you guys so much <3

Sunday is boring. The only thing Isak does is study all day, occasionally eating something or taking short bathroom breaks. When he takes a short coffee break, he of course checks Instagram to see if Even has posted anything. Today it’s only an aesthetic photo of a mug with tea and a sandwich. _Good. I can finally breathe._ He washes up his coffee mug and then goes back to studying. Later in the evening, he finally finishes his ten page essay for biology. He takes a long, warm shower before he finally goes to bed.

 

That night is the first night he dreams of Even.

 

Monday morning, he’s very excited to go to school. He’s missed his friends so much. And even though Magnus can be a bitch some times, he really love him just as much as Jonas and Mahdi. Ever since Isak came out to them about six months ago, Magnus has been one of his biggest supporters. He’s been so accepting, so loving and some times quite defensive when people have said things that Magnus thinks is offensive towards Isak’s sexuality, but Isak most often doesn’t take it that seriously. It’s mostly jokes, which Isak realises but Magnus doesn’t. Since coming out, Isak has become more confident and generally more open about everything.

Magnus meets him in the hallways, right next to the lockers.

”Hi!”

”Hey!” Isak smiles. ”Where’s Mahdi and Jonas?”

”They’re a bit late, apparently. They have…” Magnus looks at his phone ”…exactly 5 minutes before lesson starts!” Isak puts down his backpack, opens his locker and grabs his English books.

”Should we wait for them?” He asks as he closes his locker and picks up his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder.

”Nah, I think they’ll catch up!” Magnus shrugs, as he starts walking towards the classroom. Isak doesn't protest, he just tags along.

 

After English class they all meet up and go outside, to sit on some benches in the school yard and relax before next class.

"Oh my god!" Magnus exclaims when they've sat down. "I hooked up with the hottest chick ever this weekend! She was so hot I almost died, but she couldn't kiss. I swear-" Magnus says when Jonas and Mahdi starts to protest, "-she couldn't kiss, at all! Worst kisser ever! But she was hot though, damn..." he frowns and sighs loudly. This is how most of their conversations go: Magnus telling who he hooked up with this weekend, Jonas and Mahdi trying to protest and Isak just sitting there, not wanting to hear anything about any of it. He starts gazing across the school yard, trying to zoom out of the boys' conversation and look at the people around him instead. Some people are playing basketball, some are just sitting and talking, some people are making out. He looks away in disgust when he sees the boy and the girl on a bench, their bodies tightly pressed together and their lips moving softly over one another.

As his head turns the other way, he sees something else he doesn't wanna see. Across the school yard, towards the school building, walks Even and his crew. It's like a slow motion scene in a movie, they're laughing and play fighting as they move towards the building. And at one point, Even turns his head and looks straight at Isak. It's like he knew Isak was staring at them, so he just had to stare back. Isak looks down on the ground and then tries to join in on the conversation going on between his friends. They're still talking about some hook up that happened this weekend, so he apparently haven't missed that much. Not only is Even the hottest guy at school - everyone thinks that, gay or not, and everyone wants to be him - but he's also the most popular guy. He's cool, he's handsome, he's charming and he's mesmerising. It's hard not to like him, that's just the way it is. 

 

"So, your birthday is this coming weekend..." Jonas says, when they're alone at the lockers later that day.

"Yeah!" Isak smiles, putting his books in and closing it. He walks over to Jonas, who always takes longer than necessary to put his books away.

"You wanna do anything fun then? Maybe we could go out somewhere? All four of us? Bowling, maybe? It's been way too long since we did that!" Jonas asks, slowly closing his locker.

"Yeah, bowling sounds fun - let's do that! On Friday, when my birthday is, or is Saturday better?" Isak asks as he throws his backpack over his shoulder.

"Friday is great!" Jonas smiles as they start walking down the hallway. Isak just nods in silence.

 

Friday comes and Isak is overjoyed about going bowling with his friends later that evening. It's been so long since last time and bowling is something he's actually really good at. It's gonna be great, just him and his friends bowling and drinking soda and maybe have some food afterwards. He's excited, he can't wait! The school day passes surprisingly fast, even though his school day starts at 8 am and ends at 3 pm.

 

It's later that evening when he's picking out his bowling outfit, that he suddenly starts thinking about Even again. He's never gonna be able to escape him, not even when he's alone. Isak picks up a button up shirt from on top of his bed. He holds it out in front of himself, it's a grey shirt, a bit wrinkly but should be fine anyways. A pair of dark jeans with this should be good, too. And, of course, his red snapback - his trademark, you could more or less say. After getting dressed, he takes a last look in the mirror, correcting his shirt a bit and styling his hair just a little. He walks out into the living room, where his flatmate Eskild is watching TV.

”Hello handsome!” Eskild looks at him with a wide grin.

”Does it look good?” Isak bites his bottom lip.

”Good? You’re on fire!”

”Don’t overdo it…” Isak sighs loudly and rolls his eyes. Eskild laughs softly.

"Okay! But the boys are gonna be all over you tonight!" He says and raises his eyebrows, which makes Isak roll his eyes once again.

"Bye, Eskild!" Isak says, Eskild's laugh echoing behind him as he leaves.

 

The music is at a nice, calm volume as he walks into the bowling alley. Jonas greets him with a happy birthday and they walk up to Magnus and Mahdi, who are changing into bowling shoes. Magnus looks up at him with a smile. 

"Happy birthday!!" he shouts and embraces Isak in a tight hug.

"Thank you!" he manages to get out, even though Magnus have squeezed out almost all air of him. Once he lets go of Isak, Mahdi wishes him a happy birthday too but with a much lighter hug. 

"Ready to get crushed?" Mahdi jokes, softly punching Isak in the side.

"Crushed? I'm the bowling master and you know it!" Isak snorts, blowing air out of his nose.

"Well, okay then!" Mahdi raises his hands, clearly in disbelief of Isak's self-declared mastertitle. 

 

Isak often declares himself as "the ultimate master" of things, even though he knows he might not be in that particular thing. Though with bowling happens too be the opposite - he really is good at bowling and it’s most often he who wins the whole round.

”Okay, Isak, it’s your turn!” Jonas says, patting Isak encouragingly on the back. Isak nods, takes his bowling ball and walks up to the alley. He aims and then releases his ball with full force. At first it looks like it’s not gonna make it, it’s drifting too much to the right and almost into the gutters. But Isak put a spin on it right before he threw it, so it turns left right before the gutters and steers towards the middle - making it the most iconic strike Isak has ever done.

"Yes!!" Isak screams, throwing his arms up in the air with the biggest smile as he turns around.

"Wow! That was a good one!" Jonas says and gives Isak a high five when he comes walking towards the other boys.

"Yeah, it was very good I must say!" Isak brags, still smiling widely. "I'm gonna buy a coke. Do you guys want anything?" he ask and the other boys nods and says they want coke too. Isak leaves them with an okay and then walks over to the bar to order four Coca-Cola. While waiting, he gazes around the bowling alley. His eyes stops at something, or more like someone. _Shit._ He looks away. _Fuck._ The immediate rush of blood to his face, colouring his cheeks pink, shouldn't surprise him at this time - he's been through this so many times before. _It's Even._ Without even looking, Isak knows he's coming over. _Fuck, how am I gonna manage this situation without flinging myself over Even in utter desperation?_ Isak isn't desperate, though, he just have a serious crush on the school's hottest and most popular boy. It's fine. It's nothing more than a crush, it will pass.

 

"Hello!" Even's voice is a soft as silk, a smile hinting in it. Isak looks his way, but he can't dare himself to meet Even's eyes. The older boy places his hands on the bar counter, leaning in like the cool guy he is. 

"Hey..." his voice is weak when he says it, almost at the breaking point. This is exactly what Even does to him. Makes him weak at his knees, makes him speechless, makes his heart skip a few beats, makes him sweat uncontrollably. He bites his lower lip so hard it will probably start bleeding any minute. Even moves closer, as if he knows what effect he has on Isak and just wants to make it worse for him.

"Looks like you're gonna win, huh? You're really good at bowling!" Even says and Isak can feel his breath against his skin as Even talks.

"Yeah, uh, I'm good, I guess" he's modest. Normally he would say that he's "the master of bowling", but suddenly it's like his confidence is completely blown away. The effect this boy has on him makes him frustrated. It's like Isak is the puppet and Even is the puppeteer, controlling his feelings, his words and his whole body. The silence between them is tense, a bit awkward. Isak wants to find something to say, anything really. He doesn't like this weird silence. Though Even is quicker to speak. 

”So, did you hear about the changes at work?” Even asks, their arms slightly touching. Isak’s heart is racing, his throat is dry and he struggles to find the right words and put them into a sentence. He swallows hard and clears his throat.

”No…” his voice is weak, a bit shaky. He clears his throat, making his voice normal again. "What about it?" Isak doesn't dare to meet Even's eyes, because if he does, he's gonna literally explode.

"Oh, nothing really!" Even says and it's impossible to miss the smirk and tease in his voice.

"Okay..." Isak is confused and he makes a tentative try to look at Even. His eyes wander up Even's body, his hands, his arms, his shoulders... he can't, he really can't look at his face. At least not yet.

"It's just that..." Even moves his body towards Isak and leans down a bit, in an effort to make their eyes meet. Isak looks away, his heart racing and throat tightening. The smirk in Even's voice is still there when he continues: "...we're gonna be working together now! Isn't that gonna be fun?" and it suddenly feels like someone dropped a bomb on Isak's head. A bomb filled with all kinds of emotions. _Fuck. Shit. No. Why. How. No. No. No._ Isak forces a smile - the hardest smile he's ever had to do.

"Okay..." is all he can say to Even. He has a thousand thoughts, a thousand words he probably could say, but all he can produce is an _'Okay'._

"See you later this week, then!” Even says as he turns away from Isak. Isak can finally look up, watching Even’s back move away from him. He doesn’t know what to respond. Should he have said something back? Because he sure as hell can’t respond right now. And what would he even say? _’Good, I’ll see you then! Looking forward to it!’_ Because he really doesn’t look forward to being distracted at work. Isak just wants to go to work, do his hours there and then go home. He doesn’t need distraction at work, he doesn’t want distraction at work - not even if it’s the hottest guy alive. Isak starts turning around but then remembers the Coca-Colas he ordered earlier. He takes them from the counter and walks over to his friends again. They look at him with big eyes, burning with curiousity and confusion. Magnus is, of course, the first one to actually ask Isak about Even.

”Okay, Isak, we need answers. How the fuck do you know the most popular dude in school?” Magnus walks towards him, as he joins them. Isak rolls his eyes, the stress from meeting Even slowly fading away, as he stops and puts the coke cans on the table.

”I don’t know him. We just happen to work at the same place!” Isak’s voice is still a bit shaky, his heart still beating way too fast.

”Oh, so you work together?” Jonas asks.

”Not really… or not yet…” Isak swallows hard, thinking about the fact that he will soon be working with Even. On the same shift. _Fuck, that’s not gonna go well._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a huge thank you two the best two betas in the world, for looking over my fic: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- your constant support, help and honesty is invaluable! without you two this wouldn't have existed. i love you guys so much <3

Even didn't tell Isak which day they start working together, so he's been nervous ever since Even shared that information with him. It's Sunday and they still haven't worked together. Sunday turns into Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday... Isak starts to feel safe, maybe Even was just lying? Maybe they won't work together? Maybe he was just teasing him? Even was probably lying, Isak's boss haven't even talked to him about this yet. Yes, Even must be lying. It’s Friday afternoon the next time Isak walks into the coffee shop to work. The clock is almost 2pm when he arrives. Today it’s his boss who’s working. Maybe he could finally get some answers about what Even said. Elin greets him with a big smile, her green eyes sparkly.

”Hello, Isak!”

”Uh, hi, Elin!” Isak smiles back at her. He’s about to go out to the locker room, to change into work clothes, when she stops him.

"There's been a change of plans today..." she starts and Isak feels how his stomach suddenly tightens, his whole body tenses. "...Hilda called in sick today, so you'll be working with Even today. But that's gonna be fine, right?" She smiles, as if she knows Isak has something against Even. But he doesn't hate Even, he doesn't think he could ever hate Even. It's just that it's so hard to focus when he's around and all Isak can think about is ripping Even's clothes off. He swallows hard, shivering as he inhales, his voice very shaky when he speaks.

"Okay..." he tries to stabilise his voices, but fails.

"You have worked together before, haven't you?" she says, raising her eyebrows.

"No, we haven't..." Isak's voice is a bit less shaky now.

"Oh, okay... well then this is a great opportunity then! You'll be working more with him soon, so you better get used to it." She jokes with a soft laughter. All Isak hears is his own brain screaming, louder than ever before, _NOOOOOO! I can't do this! How on earth will I do this! I have to say that I can't do this!_ But he also doesn't wanna make it awkward for himself, explaining why he can't do this. That he has a crush on Even, that he has trouble breathing when this tall, hot, blonde is near, that his body completely shuts down whenever Even's name is mentioned in any context. Isak swallows again, but it's like something as basic as that won't even work anymore.

"Okay!" it comes out weaker and more high-pitched than he means it to. He takes a shaky breath before he turns around and walks out into the locker room. Isak only he's the back of him, but it still his knees turn into jelly and his heart races faster - if that's even possible - when that blonde head appears as Isak pushes up the door. Even turns around which makes Isak look away, his heart in his throat and nerves on the outside. He jumps at the sound of the older boy's voice.

"Hello, Isak!" Isak doesn't need to see him to know he wears that dashing smile on his face like a trophy.

"Uh, hi!" His voice is still too high-pitched, but not weak anymore. He’s really trying his hardest not to do anything he might regret later. To distract himself, he opens his locker and puts his bag in. As quickly as he can, he undresses and puts on his work clothes.

”It’s gonna be fun working together, isn’t it?” Even says and Isak can hear that he has turned around, now facing towards Isak, and moved closer. Isak imagines Even’s warm breath against his neck, caressing his skin. He has to stop himself. That isn’t even real. It’s just his brain playing tricks. He focuses on his bag in his locker, trying to get back to here and now.

”Uh, yeah…” Isak tries to keep his cool - or whatever cool is left in him - and answer calmly. This might be the hardest thing he’s ever done. Harder than any biology and chemistry test he’s ever taken in school. Isak has seen many hot boys before, he's had endless crushes on boys, but nothing has ever been as severe as this one. No other crush has ever done what this one is doing to him. His breathing is a bit shaky again, or "a bit" might be a understatement - to be completely honest, he's having trouble breathing, his breath trembling. If he were to speak, his voice would probably break. He hears Even take another few steps towards him and it makes his body freeze. There's hesitancy in Even's steps, as if he's contemplating his choices. Isak doesn't see any other choice than Even leaving him alone so he can finish getting dressed. And it's af it Even understands that, without any of them uttering another word, because he says:

"Well, I'll be out in the shop waiting for you!" and there's not even a smirk in his voice now. Is he also nervous? Isak just nods as an answer. When Even walks out the door, Isak lets out the breath he's been holding in for probably ten minutes. It's a long, loud exhale, filled with relief. Isak sits down on one of the benches and his hand clutches on the edge of the seat. He inhales deeply and then exhales slowly, mouthing a low _fuck_ with his lips. 

 

He takes another deep breath, to calm himself down. It's not working very well, though, because his heart is still beating way too fast and his body is still shaking more than it should. _I hate him for doing this to me._ Isak knows that Even probably isn't aware of the effect that he has on him, but he needs to put the blame on someone other than his own brain and body. In sheer panic he writes a quick text to Jonas. 

 

**1:55pm:**

[ Help me! ]

 

**Jonas**

**1:55pm:**

[ With what? ]

 

Isak is panicking, he can barely type anything. He can't find the words he wanna use. 

 

**Isak**

**1:57pm:**

[ With work ]

 

**Jonas**

**1:57pm:**

[ What the fuck, Isak, you're not making any sense at all!!! ] 

 

And shortly after that, he instead calls Isak.

"Isak... what's going on?!" his voice is serious, worried.

"It's work... it's..." he stops, a bit embarrassed to admit why he's acting this way.

"It's what? I don't understand anything right now!" Jonas is frustrated, impatient, confused and worried.

"Oh my god, it's so embarrassing!" Isak puts his free hand over his eyes, rubbing them gently with his fingers. Jonas stays silent, waiting for Isak to continue but when he doesn't Jonas feels the need to say something.

"Isak... it's okay, you can tell me everything - you know that, right?"

"Yeah..." Isak says, a bit hesitant.

"And, honestly, it can't be worse than when you told me you used to have a crush on me" Jonas says, laughing softly. _Shit, haven't he forgotten about that?_ Isak feels his cheeks burn as they turn bright pink. He laughs too, a bit awkwardly.

"Haha, no.. uh, probably not!" Isak lets out a low sigh. 

"So, tell me then - what's wrong?" Jonas voice is again filled with worry and also a hint of curiousity.

"Okay, so... you know who Even is, right?" Isak's voice becomes a bit shaky at the end, his breath a bit heavier when he says Even's name.

"Yeah, how could I not! Ugh, I wish I was more like him..." Jonas says with a dreamy voice and you can almost hear him drooling. It's not that Jonas is gay, but everyone adores Even - gay or not, it doesn't matter.

"Yeah.. uhm, well you know he also works where I work - at the coffee shop... right?" Isak swallows hard. Now Jonas must almost start to put two and two together. Isak feels as if he has given away too many clues now.

"Yes..." and you can hear that Jonas has at least some clue about what's going on.

"I..." Isak stops to breathe in deeply, before he continues with a trembling voice: "...I kind of, sort of, may have a... uhm... crush on him..." and he scrapes nervously with his shoe on the locker room floor.

"Oh, okay!" Jonas doesn't even try to hide his surprised tone.

"Yeah..." Isak lets a long heavy breath, as he continues: "...uh, and so today... I'm apparently working with him... and like, I don't know how I'm gonna fucking do it!" 

”Shit… That’s gonna be hard" Jonas says, not knowing what else to say to calm his friend down.

"Help me, Jonas!" Isak sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Okay... just try to stay calm and don't look him in the eyes? Is that a good enough advice for you?" Jonas sounds a bit annoyed.

"Yeah... no, not really, but thanks! I guess I gotta go face him now... well not face him literally - that would be like asking for death - but... work with him" Isak says, with a nervous laugh.

"Good luck, buddy!" Jonas laughs. "And text me if you need more advice or just moral support!"

"Thanks" Isak says, sighing heavily, blowing air out of his nose. And with that, their call ends. He walks into the toilet and places one hand on each side of the sink, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. He looks at his own, tired and nervous reflection in the mirror. He puts the tap on and cups his hand under the running water, then washes his face. This should cool him down and make him more awake, hopefully calming his feelings down. He wipes his face dry with a paper towel and then looks in the mirror again. He smiles at himself, to try and feel better about the situation.

_I can do this. I can... no shit, I can't. Not with him around. How can I do this... when Even is here?_ Isak starts panicking, but then he remembers to breathe deeply and calmly and he once again meets his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes are widened, so he tries to relax them by smiling and it works surprisingly well. His whole body slowly relaxes and within two minutes he's out of the bathroom and on his way out to the coffee shop.

"There you are!" Even exclaims as Isak walks out from the locker room. "I almost thought you died!" Even says with a cute laugh and Isak has to look away the whole time, he can't look straight at him - not even a little bit. Shit, I thought I was calm enough... and fuck, this is gonna be a long afternoon!

 

They have a lot of costumers that afternoon - _and thank God for that_ , Isak thinks. Even haven't said a word to Isak for about two whole hours - well, they haven't even gotten a chance to say anything considering how busy it's been the whole time. But when Even isn't looking Isak's way, or when he's busy with something else, Isak steals a look on him. He scans the older boy's body from top to toe, his eyes wandering over the perfect profile of Even's face, his hair styled in the most perfect quiff you could ever find. His arms as he prepares a cappuccino for a customers, his fingers moving swiftly over the counter as he searches for a cup and then a lid for the coffee cup. His gracious, muscular body as he moves over the floor the get something from the other side of the room. Isak can't stop looking at him, but he also knows that he could get caught at any moment.

 

It's later that afternoon, the sun has already set and the shop is closed, and they're cleaning up after the last costumer has left.

"So, I heard you're really good in biology..." Even says as he's mopping the floor. 

"Huh? How did you... oh, you've talked to Hilda haven't you?" Isak cleans the tables from plates and cups and then wipes the tables off. He feels calm when he starts talking, but as soon as he finishes his sentence he feels it. The cheeks burning, his throat tightening, his heart pumping faster and breathing getting heavier.

"Yeah, uhm, and Sana too..." Even sounds almost embarrassed. Isak swallows hard twice and carefully prepares what he's gonna say in his head before he speaks. But he remains speechless. It’s as if his brain suddenly stopped functioning and won’t generate any words.

”Yeah…” he laughs and feels his heart speed up again. Isak tries to forget about Even, as he continues cleaning the tables. Neither of them says anything in a long while, they just keep cleaning to the soft sound of the radio in the background. Isak starts putting up chairs upside down on the tables so it gets easier for Even to clean. A very familiar song comes on, though it’s not really a song Isak enjoys that much.

”Oh my god!” Even exclaims, dropping the mop in his hand to the floor. He quickly turns the volume up high. ”I love this song!” Isak looks at him in the corner of his eye, with a look of disbelief on his face. _I can’t believe this boy likes Fem Fine Frøkner by Gabrielle. How the fuck did I get a crush on a boy like that?_

”Seriously?” is all he can say.

”Yes! Don’t you like it? Come on, dance with me!” Even says and walks over to him. Isak just stands there, not knowing if he should accept the invite or not. His brain says: _Yes, come on! This is all you ever wanted - what the fuck, dance with the boy!_ , while his body is saying: _No, you will explode if you even dare to touch him! All your feelings - you can’t hold all of that in. Please, stop while you can!_

”Oh, don’t be such a downer! It’s just a little dance, Isak!” Even tries again, already swaying his hips to the beat of the song. Isak’s eyes move up and down Even’s torso, watching as he dances softly to the music in front of Isak. ”Well, I’ll dance by myself then!” He smiles as he moves away from Isak, still dancing. Even starts singing loudly, too, making it even more entertaining for Isak to watch. Isak wants to continue cleaning, but he also can’t take his eyes of this beautiful boy with his somewhat awkward dance moves and swaying hips. He walks up to the front of the counter and jumps up to sit on it, to get a better view of Even’s body. Isak squints his eyes, wondering what this boy is doing.

”Are you judging me?” Even stops dancing and places one hand on his hips.

”What? No! No, of course not!” Isak blushes, looking down at his dangling legs. He sees Even’s body move closer to him, until he stops right in front of Isak. Even’s body is pressed against his legs, which makes Isak internally scream and his whole body to go insane. His heart is quickly picking up a very unnatural pace, his breathing heavy and body both shaking and sweating more than it should.

"So..." Even's voice is low, sensual in a way and it makes Isak a bit aroused. "...are you gonna dance with me?" Even puts a hand on one of Isak's legs and Isak thinks he's gonna flip everything and just kiss this damn boy already. But he tries to remain as calm as he can, though it's hard when Even's touch burns through his clothes and their closeness makes him speechless but also makes him want to scream. 

"I... guess I am?" Isak says and he doesn't mean for it to come out as a question. Even stretches out a hand but when Isak doesn't take it, Even just pulls him down on the floor and starts dancing away.

"Du får meg til å kjøre meg opp! Det e ingenting som kan kjøre meg ned!" Even sings along loudly to the song, while he tries to spin a clumsy Isak around. Isak spins around, but it’s definitely not as graciously as he imagined it would be. He stumbles on his own feet a bit, but regains balance just a second later. Even laughs at him and pulls him close, as if they were gonna dance tango. Isak definitely knows nothing about dancing, but Even seems to know a whole lot about it. He moves Isak sideways in some weird move, making them spin round and round. Isak can’t believe it - Even’s hand is softly in his, as it should be when you dance. He’s stunned. He can’t believe their skin is touching and how close they’re standing now. Does he dare to look up? Because if their eyes meet he might just die. Though he tries, slowly, as they just rocking gently from side to side, standing closely together.

His eyes wander up along Even's shirt and stops right before his cheek. Can he look up without totally flipping out? His eyes wander a bit more, as he closely look at his soft lips. Isak has never seen Even this close and he never thought he would. This boy is perfect, it’s like he’s a work of art - just begging to be looked at. His eyes wander, as if on autopilot, and they stop on Even's eyes. Isak thanks God that Even is looking the other way, because he doesn't know how he could do it otherwise. As the song comes to an end, Isak doesn't really know how to react. Should they just continue dancing? Should he be the first one to let go? He doesn't want to stop. This is nice and he likes it. He's actually quite proud of himself for not screaming when their hands first touched or when Even kept pulling him closer and closer. When the song ends, Even moves them both to the radio to turn the volume down. He doesn't fully let go of Isak though, one hand is still in Isak's.

"Well, that's it! Maybe we should finish cleaning up?" Even says and looks down at Isak, who has to look away a bit to not completely die. Isak clears his throat and just says a quick:

"Yeah..." and then Even lets go of Isak's hands and picks up the mop from the floor. Isak goes behind the counter and starts cleaning the coffee machines. Every now and then, their eyes accidentally meet and it makes Isak blush. They keep sneaking looks of one another when the other one isn't looking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a huge thank you two the best two betas in the world: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

It's a few days later and Isak meets up with Jonas outside school. They haven't seen each other since that afternoon when Isak worked with Even and texted Jonas in sheer panic.

"Hey! How did it go with Even?" Jonas asks.

"Oh, it went... okay, you could say..." Isak says, dreamingly thinking about their little dance session and the way Even's hands touched his.

"Good!" is the only thing Jonas says, before Magnus and Mahdi joins them too. They stay outside for a bit, to talk and catch up a bit. And the subject is, of course, who hooked up with who and whether or not Magnus thought their tongue felt like a cat tongue or not. Isak just rolls his eyes at him.

”Magnus… does every girl you hook up with really have a cat tongue, or do you just have a cat fetish or something?” Isak says, jokingly but with a hint of seriousness too.

”Well… I don’t know… but you wouldn’t know anyways, because you don’t hook up with girls anymore!” Magnus snaps at him, clearly offended by Isak’s comment.

”No. But I used to and none of them had a cat tongue. So, either you’re making this up or I just haven’t met the ’right’ ” - Isak makes air quotations with his fingers - ”girl to hook up with?” he laughs. Magnus looks more sad than offended now. ”Oh, come on Mags - I’m just messing with you!” Isak says, playfully punching his arm. They smile at each other and then Magnus continues talking about girls. Isak stops listening and gazes across the schoolyard instead - and he wish he didn’t. Even and his gang is walking straight towards them, heading for the entrance. He is quick to look away, but not quick enough - he knows Even saw him looking.

”Hi, Isak!” Even says with a laugh when he and his friends walks by and disappears into the school. Isak just murmurs a hi back, as he feels his whole body blush and his heart start pumping unbelievably fast. He can feel Magnus’ stare burn into his skin, his curiosity insatiable, though this time he doesn’t ask anything. Isak shakes his head to wake up from this trans Even somehow put him in.

”Anyways! Time for lesson!” He says and rushes in to the school building, carefully avoiding Even once he’s in there.

 

When Isak comes to work that afternoon, he realises that he's working with Even again and right now he doesn't know if his heart can take it. Too much Even this past week, that can't be good. Or maybe it is good, maybe it cleanses your skin and all that? Probably not, when it causes more pain than it actually does good. Isak looks at Even, but only his torso and never his face - he wouldn’t dare to try, not when he knows how his body reacts. He wants to try and speak, but he doesn’t know what to say. What do you talk about with the hottest guy at school? Isak doesn’t even know what his interests are - what does Even like to do with his spare time? Is he a book worm, a TV show addict, a film critic? Is he a coffee or tea person? Is his favourite colour pink, yellow, blue, green, purple? Maybe it’s orange? The sound of Even's voice makes him flinch. 

"So..." and in the corner of his eye, Isak sees Even nervously scratching his shoe on the floor. Right then a costumer comes in and Even takes care of it, while Isak goes out to the tables and cleans up a bit. He doesn't know if he's ready to hear Even speak to him. He wants to hear his golden voice again, but question is if his heart can take that? It's gonna happen sooner or later, though. They're gonna have to speak, they can't just work in silence forever.

 

It's later that night and the last costumer has left the coffee shop. Even offers to mop the floor again and Isak doesn't mind looking at him. He jumps up on the bar and he sits there, dangling his feet. Even doesn't seem to be in a dance mood today, but it's fine - Isak still enjoys watching as the older boy's body moves when he sweeps the mop across the floor. His hips swaying from side to side, his arms working quick with the mop and his feet almost tap dancing on the floor - it looks like he's dancing, even though that's probably not his intention.

Isak allows his eyes to wander up Even's body, to stop at his lips for a few minutes. His lips are soft, a bit pouty and it's really sexy. Isak smiles at the thought of his lips on top of Even's. His eyes wander up to Even's cheek and then his eyes. Those blue, sparkly eyes have captivated Isak for so long now. Yet again he's stuck there, he can't move his eyes away from Even's. It's just when Even looks his way, that Isak averts his stare a little bit but only to Even's cheek or his neck.

"What are you looking at?" Even's voice is playful, a bit teasing and the smirk on his face is annoying but cute.

"Oh, nothing..." Isak blushes and looks up at the ceiling and around the coffee shop to avoid Even's gaze. He hears Even drop the mop on the floor and walk closer to him. Isak looks down at the floor and starts sweating, his heart immediately picking up a fast pace and breathing getting heavier for every second that passes. Even gently pushes his body against Isak's legs, placing his hands on the bar on each side of Isak's body. Even's breath warm against his skin as he leans in closer, pushing their foreheads together.

"I see you staring at me, Isak..." Even smirks "...I don't mind it though, it's cute!" He shrugs and pulls away. Isak has to stop himself from not leaning out after him. Even goes back to his mop, but keeps looking at Isak from time to time. And Isak looks back at him too, but looks away every time Even looks his way. They both smile awkwardly at each other. There's something between them, but Isak is unsure if it's just some kind of weird friendship or something more. 

 

That night is the second time Isak dreams about Even. This dream is, however, quite intense. It starts with them dancing together, to Fem Fine Frøkner again and everything is joyful, it's calm and it's beautiful. Everyone is there, Magnus applauding them as the sway across the floor and Jonas is the DJ. Mahdi eats waffles and it's all good. Is this a party or what is this? Isak just shrugs and keep dancing close to Even, their bodies pressed together and their noses brushing over one another's. The music slows down and so does their dancing. Even places his hands on Isak's lower back, as Isak lets his wander up to the back of Even's neck. "Slow hands" by Niall Horan starts playing and they start swaying along to the rhythm. Their noses brushes together again and it makes them both smile. As the song is almost ending their Even's lips brushes over Isak's and right when they're about to actually kiss, Isak wakes up.

"What the fuck..." Isak says with a tired voice. He sits up and it takes a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the sunlight coming through the window. It takes even longer for his brain and his whole body to adjust to the fact that it was just a dream, no reality. He drops his head back down on the pillow with a loud grunt. _It wasn't even real!_ Isak picks up his phone from the nightstand. He’s been so busy for a while now, he forgot to look on the Instagram account where he follows Even. And of course, Even has posted several selfies since he was last on the Peter Eriksen account. He goes through them one by one, staring at each and every one of them for several minutes before scrolling down - but yet again returning after a few seconds, to stare for several more minutes. How can a human be so fucking perfect? The more he stares, the more perfect Even gets. And the more he stares, the faster his heart beats and the faster his breathing gets. He starts sweating, so he decides to just close the app down instead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a huge thank you two the best two betas in the world: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

His Saturday starts off as usual: with a cup of coffee brewed by Eskild and some cereal with milk. 

 ”So… any cute boys you’ve met recently?” Eskild asks. This is quite a usual topic for them, or at least for Eskild to ask Isak about cute boys he might have met. Isak rarely asks Eskild the same, because to him that’s a weird question to ask someone.

”Uh…” is the only thing Isak can get out. His mind immediately starts painting up a picture of the only cute boy he’s met in the last decade: Even. Eskild obviously sees Isak’s sudden distance when he starts thinking about that blond-haired beauty.

”Oh, so there is one - isn’t there?!” Eskild says with a little applause. ”Do tell!” and there’s no way he can hide his excitement over his roommate finally finding a cute boy. Isak isn’t picky - he just knows what he wants.

”Okay…” Isak sighs, rolling his eyes with a grunt. ”…so he works at the coffee shop I work in… and he also goes to my school. But he’s way out of my league, though - he’s one of those popular kids, you know. I don’t have a chance…” he looks down, frowning.

”Oh my god, Isak! Of course you have a chance!” Eskild says, placing one hand on Isak’s on top of the table. ”Do you know how beautiful you are, inside and out? How caring, how loving and adorable you are? I know all of that and more!” he smiles and Isak meets his eyes with a crooked smile. 

”Thanks, Eskild!” Isak says - and he means it. Eskild means a lot to him, even though he wouldn’t really admit that to anyone but himself. Isak can be very sarcastic and grumpy towards him, which can be seen as quite rude by people who doesn’t know them - but it’s all love. Eskild is like a brother to him, so teasing is just a way of showing how much they appreciate each other.

”Anyways, thank for the coffee!” Isak says, sweeping what’s left of it in his mug before he puts the mug and his bowl in the sink.

”Oh, you’re welcome! Are you working with that guy today? What’s his name, by the way, because I don’t think you mentioned it?” Eskild asks, as he starts to wash up their mugs and bowls.

”I honestly don’t know if I’m working with him or not… I never know until I arrive and he’s there. His name is Even, he’s blonde and has blue eyes and he’s tall as a giraffe!” Isak says, a bit dreamingly at the end. Eskild laughs at his description of Even’s height.

”Can’t wait to meet him!” He winks at Isak.

”Oh, but we’re not a couple! And he’s still out of my league… and I don’t even know if he’s into guys so it feels like a dead end” Isak sighs, a frown on his face as he looks down at the floor.

”Turn that frown upside down!” Eskild says and Isak looks up to meet the wide smile on Eskild’s face. It’s impossible to not smile when you look at the other boy’s warm, happy face, so a smile quickly spreads over Isak’s face. ”See - you can smile!” Eskild says, with a playful push.

”Anyways, I’m leaving for work now! Bye, Eskild!” Isak leaves with the widest smile on his lips. He hears Eskild’s ’Have a wonderful day!’ echoing behind him as he shuts the door.

 

The coffee shop is empty when he arrives. He’s the first one there and that’s unusual, but he loves how quiet it is when he opens the door and it’s only him there. Isak turns on the radio and then walks out into the locker room to quickly change into work clothes. When he walks back out into the coffee shop, Even just walks in through the front door with a big smile and that forces Isak to look away. When he smiles it's as bright as the sun, always blinding you no matter how hard you try not to be blinded. He really is so fucking beautiful.

"Hello!” Even’s eyes sparkles like a thousand stars on a dark night. Isak glances at Even, but he’s carful not to meet the other boy’s eyes.

”Uhm, hi!” Isak says, a bit awkward. Even quickly sneaks in to the locker room to change, which gives Isak a few minutes to breathe normally again. But shit, how am I supposed to manage this? He picks up his phone and opens a new text message.

 

**To: Jonas**

**9:32am:**

[ Jonas! It’s happening again! ]

 

**Jonas**

**9:33am:**

[ Just remember to breathe. And try to relax a bit, jeez Isak! ] 

 

This is all he gets from Jonas and it makes him roll his eyes, but it's also a good reminder. He realised he have barley been breathing for a few minutes, so he lets out a long exhale as he puts his phone away. 

"So, how's your morning going?" The sound of Even's voice makes him jump.

"Oh, uh it- it's going fine- uh, great! How's your morning so far?" Isak stutters, struggling to find the words and then his cheeks starts burning, quickly turning bright pink.

"Great, now that I'm here!" He says and there's a smile hinting in his voice. Isak glances at him. His heart starts beating faster the further up Even's body his eyes wander, so he just averts his eyes to the floor instead. Isak scrapes his foot nervously on the floor. He doesn't expect anyone of them to say anything more, but then Even speaks.

"So..." Even starts, he too scraping his foot nervously on the floor. Isak glances his way and now he dares to look at his face. Even bites his lower lips, his eyes locked on the floor in front of him. He clears his throat and then continues: "...I, uh, I heard you're good at biology!"

"Yeah... we talked about that last week or something", Isak says.

"Oh, right..." Even smiles, looking a bit embarrassed. "Anyways, I'm wondering if... maybe you could like... help me with biology..." he stops to breathe, it sounds a bit shaky, as if he's nervous and then he exhales: "...some day?" And Isak is stunned, he doesn't know what to say. He's dying to say ' _Yes! Fuck yes! Hell yeah! Just tell me when!'_ but his brain stops him, telling him that _'No, play it cool!'_

"Oh, okay... uh, what kind of assignment is it?" Isak asks, still very stunned by the fact that this gorgeous boy just asked him for help.

"Oh... it's some kind of essay, on like... eh, some... microorganism, I think? Well, something like that..." Even lets out a nervous laugh as he scrapes his foot on the floor again. Isak watches him closely, reads his face when he knows Even isn't looking. It's almost as if Even is a bit different, more nervous than usual, a bit timid. The clock is a few minutes after ten and guests start dropping in.

"Sure, I guess I could try and help you!" Isak says, as he's about to help the first costumer.

"Monday? After school?" Even asks, ready to help the next costumer that comes in. Isak nods and it makes Even smile, which in return makes Isak smile too. Things get quite busy after that and it doesn't stop until they close up.

 

As usual, once they close up, Isak cleans the machines behind the counter and then continues to wipe of the counter and the tables. Even starts vacuuming the shop and when Isak is done with wiping the tables, he puts up the chairs on the tables. When Even starts mopping the floor, Isak jumps up on the counter to watch him from afar. Even starts cleaning but then suddenly stops, giving Isak a curious look.

"Why do you always do that?" He asks and Isak furrows his eyebrows.

"Do what?"

"Sit there and look at me" Even says, lowering the mop shaft a bit to the side.

"Well, I'm done with my part so... I'm just waiting for you to be done so we can leave...” Isak bites his bottom lip as he gazes at Even.

”Do you like what you see, then?” Even says, with a gesture down his own body. Isak lets out a anxious and nervous laugh, which makes Even a bit offended as he says: ”Oh, so I’m funny to look at then?” and then he starts walking over to Isak, who can’t stop smiling.

”Well, maybe not funny but…” Isak has no idea where he’s going with that sentence. Even stops right in front of Isak, pressing his body against Isak’s legs and placing his hands on the counter on each side of him. It's like deja vu, except this did actually happen not that long ago. Isak's heart starts beating so fast, he can feel it in his throat. 

”But?” Even asks, smirking and pressing his forehead against Isak's. Isak is about to explode. This closeness is nice but also life threatening - it's too much to handle. This hot boy is pressing his perfect body against his and it's the nicest feeling ever. It's also making him wanna scream - all these feelings, emotions, thoughts that want out.

_I have a serious, deadly crush on you! I wanna hold your hand! I just wanna kiss you! I wanna hold you! I just... want you on me! All over me!_ Isak holds back so much, tries to play it cool. He stares down where the floor was and Even's chest now is, blocking his sight. He licks his lips, trying to figure out what to say next. It's not like he can say how fucking obsessed he is with Even. How he dreams about him. How he stares at him when he thinks he's not looking, at school and at work. How for a year, it's been his biggest dream yet also his biggest dread to work with Even. 

"I forgot..." is all he says. Even exhales with a little laugh. 

"Okay."

"Okay." Isak copies him and bites his bottom lip again. Even leans back, kneeling down a bit to try and meet Isak's eyes but Isak just won't move his head.

"Why won't you look at me?" Even asks, a bit offended. Then he does exactly what Isak has wanted him to do for so long, but also dreaded because physical touch by Even will be too much. Even lifts Isak's chin up with one hand, forcing Isak to look at him. They both smile at each other and then Even leans in, he closes the distance between them and presses their lips together. Isak dies inside, happy and satisfied.

Even's lips are soft, like cotton and the touch of his hand moving up Isak's back feels like velvet. Isak places one hand on Even's neck and the other one on his back, pulling him in close between his own legs. Even's hands finds their way to Isak's neck and his fingers plays with Isak's hair as their lips continue dancing over one another. It's not like they want to stop, but they're forced to when the air has almost ran out and they need to breathe. Even brushes their noses against each other and smiles as he pulls back a bit. It makes Isak gasp for air, sending nice little chills down his spine.

He smiles back up at Even and for the first time he voluntarily looks into the older boy's eyes. When he tries to look away, it's impossible - he's drowning in those blue eyes. Isak's heart is still beating way too fast, but he feels a sense of relief. This is what he has always wanted, to be close to Even, to kiss him, to put his hands on him. Isak strokes Even's cheek, mesmerised by the beauty of this perfect boy. His fingertips strokes over his nose, slowly over Even's lips and finally up to his hair, twirling a strand of hair between his fingers.

"Do you like what you see, then?" Even asks once again. Isak smiles his widest smile as he places the strand of hair behind Even's ear.

”Yes", and then Isak pulls him into another soft kiss. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and, as always, a huge thank you two my two betas - the best one's there is: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

Isak tries to focus on school, on whatever the lessons are about, but it's impossible. It's Monday and all he can think about is Even. How he's gonna help him with biology, how Even actually asked for Isak's help - even though, the older boy could probably have gotten the same help from some of his own friends. But today is the day, he's actually helping Even with homework. Holy shit, that's really happening! He nervously fingers with his pen in English class as he thinks about their kiss on Saturday. How soft Even's lips was, how warm his body was against his own. Did that really happen? Was it just a dream? It all feels so surreal to him and he wonders if Even has the same surreal feeling. Jonas looks at Isak.

"What's wrong?" he whispers.

"Nothing..." Isak murmurs back.

"Is it... you know?" and Isak knows that he's referring to Even.

"Yeah..." Isak bites his bottom lip. Jonas nods understanding but he doesn't ask anything more.

 

The day goes by slowly. In a way, Isak wants it to go faster but yet not. He looks forward to helping Even, but he's also nervous to be alone with him again. Why? Not even he himself can answer that. Maybe it's because Even is the biggest crush in his life and also happen to be the most popular boy at school. Isak is what people would call a nerd - someone who studies a lot, who doesn't really care about anything else. He is that type of person, he really wanna focus on studying - he wanna get good grades, so he can continue studying on university later. That's why he didn't want some stupid crush to ruin it all, but that doesn't seem to go to plan. 

 

The clock hits three. Isak waits outside the school, nervously fidgeting with the zipper on his unzipped jacket. He watches as people walk out through the big doors of the school and he tries to look for Even without it being too obvious who he's looking for. Even and his friends are the last ones to walk out. Isak watches as Even says goodbye to his friends, watching them leave and disappear behind the other end of the school. Then he comes walking over to Isak and holy shit, he's hot when he walks. It makes Isak's heart skip so many beats, it can't be healthy for him. He looks down when Even comes close, pressing his lips together and tries to hide a smile.

"Hi..." Even's voice is deep when he speaks, it's sexy in a way.

"Hey!" Isak says and his voice is way too high-pitched. He presses his lips even harder together when Even lets his hand stroke Isak's arm.

"Are you ready to study?" Even asks and moves a bit closer.

"Uh, yeah!" and Isak's voice is a bit too excited, still a bit too high-pitched.

"Yeah? Let's go then!" Even says and starts walking away from the school.

"Where are you...?" Isak starts. "I thought we were going to study in the library?" He continues, confused and not moving.

"No, silly!" Even snorts. He's stopped walking and he's facing Isak. "We're going back to my place, of course! We’ll be alone there, it will be much calmer" and Even says it so naturally, as if it's something so obvious he shouldn't even have to say it. "Are you coming, or what?" He raises his eyebrows at Isak.

"Oh, okay" Isak starts walking after Even, as the older boy starts leading the way.

 

While walking over to Even’s, their hands brush together from time to time. It’s a nice feeling, sending nice little chills down Isak’s spine. Isak feels this weird sense of happiness boiling inside himself, it’s unlike anything he’s ever felt before. At one point their fingers ends up being loosely intertwined for two seconds before one of them drifts to the side a bit. They smile at each other, both of them obviously affected by the touch of the other one’s skin. It feels like they’ve been walking forever, though yet it doesn’t feel like a long walk. Even keeps telling fun little stories, making Isak laugh and some puns, which makes Isak roll his eyes and nudge Even playfully in the side.

 

”So… here we are!” Even does a gesture to a big, green door on top of a staircase. He starts walking up the stairs and Isak is quick to follow. They walk inside and up a few more stairs to the apartment door. Even unlocks and opens the door with a soft: ”Welcome home!” and soft chuckle leaves his mouth. Isak steps in as he mumbles an awkward ’Thank you' back. He takes his shoes off and looks around the hallway from where he stands. Even walks past him into another room and their arms brush together, making Isak loose balance.

"Are you hungry?" He yells from the other room. "Because I'm starving!"

"Yeah... maybe a little!" Isak says, as he walks into the room. It's a kitchen. Not a big one, but it's big enough.

"I'm really keen on some cheese toasties. You want some too?" Even smiles. "Oh, please do sit down!" he says and nods at a chair by the kitchen table. Isak sits down and looks around the room. The walls are white, over the sink and counters the walls are tiled with dark blue tiles and so is the floor. It’s quite a small kitchen, but it’s small and cosy and Isak instantly feels at home in it.

”You didn’t answer my question on cheese toasties, so I’m making some for you anyways" Even says as he puts bread slices on a baking tray.

”Oh, yeah.. uh, thanks" Isak says, as he watches Even stress from one end of the kitchen to the other. ”So… uhm… what was your assignment about? The one you needed help with?” he asks. Even turns around with his eyebrows furrowed.

”Hey… can we just… not talk about school for like a second?”

”Uh, okay" Isak smiles shyly. Even walks up to him, kneels down a bit and tilts Isak’s head up. He smiles down at him, before he leans in to kiss him. The kiss doesn’t last for more than a few seconds, but to Isak it feels like forever. When Even pulls back, Isak has to hold back to not lean after him.

”What’s your favourite movie?” Even asks as he walks back to the kitchen counter to continue preparing the toasties. It takes a few seconds for Isak to catch his breath and to be here and now again.

”Uh… movie? I… I don’t know. I don’t really watch movies that often…” Isak stutters, his voice trembling.

”Okay. So what do you watch? Any particular shows you like?” Even looks over his shoulder at him.

”I’m a big Narcos fan, but other than that I don’t really know” Isak smiles.

”Okay…” Even says as he turns his head back around again. Isak watches Even in silence for a while, his eyes wander over the tall boy’s back, following every part of his body that he can see through Even’s tight, white t-shirt. He tries to come up with something to talk about, something to ask to get to know Even more.

”So, uh… do you…” his voice is a bit weak, so he clears his throat before he continues: ”...live here alone?”

”No, I live with my parents. But they travel a lot for work so I’m often here alone" Even says.

”Oh, okay… that must be nice, then. It’s like, living alone but still with your mum and dad” Isak smiles.

”Mum and… oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve specified…” Even chuckles. ”I have two mums. I don’t really know my dad. Well, I know of him but like… I’ve never met him. He lives far up north in Norway.” he explains, as he puts the cheese toasties in the oven. 

”Oh, sorry…” Isak blushes and averts his eyes to Even’s feet. His breathing picks up an unhealthy pace, but he tries to calm himself down quickly.

”It’s okay! You couldn’t have known - it’s all on me" Even leans back against the kitchen counter. Isak looks up at Even’s face, cheeks still rosy and his breathing still far from normal. Even bites his lip nervously, then he clears his throat and speaks a bit hesitantly:

"So, uh, I have a question..."

"Okay?" Isak says.

"Do you happen to know anyone named Peter Eriksen?" Even asks. It makes Isak freeze, his body stiff and his breathing almost stops. _Shit. Does he know?_ Isak swallows hard before he says a nervous:

"No."

"Okay... hm, weird. This guy, whoever it is, keeps liking my photos on Instagram, but never leaves a comment or anything... I even tried to send this guy a direct message, but he never replied - and I know he saw it!" Even says, a bit frustrated. Isak swallows hard, as he recalls getting a message from Even on that account long ago - and he was too afraid to answer.

"Oh, how... weird..." Isak says, looking down at the tiled floor as he anxiously rubs the back of his head.

"Yeah, really weird…” Even furrows his eyebrows. 

 

”What did you even have on these? They taste like…” Isak says, mouth full of bread, as he chews on one of Even’s homemade cheese toasties. They’re sitting on opposite sides of the kitchen table and Isak tries not to stare too much at Even, but it’s hard when he sits there all hot, good looking.

”…like balls?” Even laughs. ”I experimented a little. Some rosemary, some chilli and some Pottagaldrar - what ever the heck that is.”

”Is that…” Isak takes another bite, as he tries to figure out what taste it is that he feels. ”…cardamom?” He wrinkles his whole face in a mixture of horror and disgust.

”No, silly! It’s cinnamon. But you don’t like it, do you?” Even looks a bit sad, heartbroken almost. Isak smiles, his cheeks filled with toasties, in an attempt to make Even feel better. It makes Even smile for a second, but the smile never reaches his eyes.

”Oh, it’s okay. It tastes… okay” Isak bites his lower lip.

”Really?” Even raises one eyebrow in distrust.

”Yeah…” Isak says and bites into the toastie again, trying to chew it without making a face. It doesn’t taste good, it really doesn’t, but he doesn’t wanna see Even sad so he really tries his hardest to eat everything up. Even chuckles, which makes Isak frown. ”What’s so funny?” he says, as he forces himself to swallow the bread.

”You’re such a bad liar, Isak!” Even snorts and bursts into a series of uncontrollable laughter.

”No?” Isak says and it’s not meant to come out as a question.

”Yes! So bad!” Even wipes his eyes from tears and tries to contain himself.

”No! You don’t know how wrong you are…” Isak says, eating up the last bite of his cheese toasties. With his mouth full he says, in a very ostentatious voice: ”I master the art of lying!” and swallows the rest of the toastie. Even starts chuckling, shaking his head in disbelief. After just a few seconds he stops, looks away and bites his lower lip as he says:

”You’re really cute…” and Isak isn’t sure, but it sure does look like Even is blushing. He's a bit taken aback at how small Even suddenly looked, how shy and closed he seemed all of a sudden. 

”Thanks for making me food… it’s… really nice of you” Isak smiles. Even looks up at him, smirking.

”Thanks! It’s a pleasure.” Even says, the hint of a smile playing on his lips. ”If you’re the master at lying, then I’ll be the master chef?” he asks and it makes Isak burst into laughter.

”Right, right…” Isak chuckles and they both laugh.

”I want ice cream. Don’t you want ice cream?” Even says very randomly, smiling and already on his way to the freezer.

”Uh, yeah sure…” Isak says, a bit hesitantly. ”…but weren’t we supposed to study?” his inner nerd is showing, but he doesn’t care - he really want to help Even get good grades on whatever assignment it is that he want help on.

”Yeah, but lets have some fun first. Relax, Isak!” Even says, as he picks up an ice cream box from the freezer. Isak leans back in his chair and watches as Even scoops up ice cream in two bowls for them.

”What flavour is it?” Isak asks.

”Vanilla", Even smiles. ”What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?”

”Chocolate… or I’m more of a Ben & Jerry’s type of person…” Isak says, a bit shy again.

”Oh, okay" Even smiles. He turns around with the bowls in his hands. ”Come on, lets go in to the living room instead - the sofa is much nicer!” and then he just walks out the door, not even waiting for Isak to follow. But Isak will follow him, he’s too curious not to follow. He walks out into the hallway again and into the room straight across from the kitchen, where Even is already sitting comfortably in the sofa - a bowl in his hands and the other one on the table in front of the sofa. The TV is turned on, a soft background noise to the otherwise silent apartment. Isak looks at the TV screen, where there’s some baking program on.

”I love watching these type of shows. But if you wanna watch something else, we can always do that…” Even says, as Isak walks over to the sofa and sits down.

”No, it’s alright…” Isak picks up his bowl from the table and picks up a little ice cream with the spoon. He looks over at Even, who’s doing the same. Isak sees a mischievous look on Even’s face and before he knows it, Even’s spoon is on Isak’s face, a little chunk of ice cream stuck on his nose.

”Hey!” Isak yells and instantly does the same to Even, the tip of his nose white from vanilla ice cream.

"Maybe you need help cleaning that off too..." Even says, putting his bowl on the table and then takes Isak's bowl from his hand, placing it next to his own. He leans in towards Isak and kisses the ice cream off of the tip of Isak's nose, smudging the ice cream from his own nose onto Isak's face in the process.

"You really made a mess now, didn't you?" Isak says when Even pulls back. They both chuckle and then Even leans in again, kissing Isak's nose further and further up until he reaches his forehead. He follow's Isak's eyebrow, kissing it as he moves down to his cheek. Their lips finally collide in an explosion of kisses and it's like they're finally home again. Isak is still sticky from ice cream, but it doesn't really matter right now. Even's lips, soft and passionate, against his own is all that ever really matters. Isak somehow ends up on his back on the sofa, Even half on top of him. He can't believe how it ended up like this and how safe he feels right now, how he actually doesn't feel that nervous at this moment. Even places kisses on his neck and he mumbles against his skin:1

"Do you still wanna study?" and it makes Isak chuckle, both because Even's breath tickles his skin and because it's quite a silly question right now. Isak just smiles, he doesn't even need to answer that question. Even's lips wander up to his again, their breaths mixing and tongues wrapping around one another. He pulls back after a few more minutes and then he places his head on Isak's chest. For the first time in a while, Isak starts breathing heavily again. _I can't believe this is true, it's really happening. Oh God. He - my crush - just really did place his beautiful head on my chest. Oh sweet Jesus. This is really happening. It's not a drill anymore._ Even must notice his heavy breathing, as he lifts his head up to look at Isak just a second later.

"Do I make you nervous?" He smirks up at Isak, as he places his hands on Isak's chest to lay his head on top of them.

"Nervous? Why would you think that?" Isak snorts, looking up towards the ceiling. 

"Heavy breathing... and now you're avoiding eye contact too!" Even gasps.

"Shut up..." Isak rolls his eyes, with a little soft laugh. Even sits up on the sofa and Isak does the same. They both look at each other, gazing into one another’s eyes. Isak is the first one to break the eye contact, biting his bottom lip as he looks away. Even puts his arm on top of the back of the sofa and reaches for a lock of Isak’s hair. He starts playing with it between his fingers, twirling and shaping it around his finger. Isak looks up at him, a wide smile on his lips. He leans in and lets his lips meet Even’s once again, pushing him down onto the sofa.

 

Isak wakes up after a few hours of sleep. Apparently Even’s chest was so soft, it was hard not to fall asleep on it. Isak glances up at him, his chin resting on Even’s chest.

”Good morning…” Even whispers.

”Good morning…” Isak whispers back, a smile playing on his lips. Even’s hand searches for Isak’s hair, his fingers playing with his locks once there. He looks down at Isak, smirking.

”What time is it?” Isak says in a yawn and Even reaches for his phone on the living room table.

”10:15” Even says, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes.

”Shit! School started like two hours ago!” Isak pushes himself up a bit from where he lies.

”Not for me…” Even laughs and pulls Isak down again, their noses touching and breaths mixing.

”Why not?” Isak asks.

”I have no lessons today" Even shrugs. ”But I do have work…” and he sighs a bit.

”Oh… do you know who you’re working with today?” Isak says, a bit sneaky. He knows who it is - it’s him - but Even doesn’t seem to know.

”No, actually, I don’t…” Even sounds a bit sad. Isak can’t hold back his smile, as he brushes their noses together. Even seem to pick up on this. ”Oh… so it’s you, then?” he sounds hesitant, but a smile is boiling up on his lips.

”Might be!” Isak smirks, giving Even a peck on the lips before he stands up. Even sits up on the sofa and puts his hands on Isak’s hips, gazing up at him. Isak is looking at his phone, trying so hard not to look down at this beautiful boy that’s sitting right below him. There’s unanswered texts on his phone, some from Eskild and some from Jonas.

 

**Eskild**

**Monday 5:23pm**

[ Didn't know you were going somewhere after school? ]

**6:56pm**

[ Don't tell me you're with that hot guy you were talking about the other day! ]

**9:18pm**

[ Damn boy! You really went there didn't you? Well... hope your having fun! ]

**Tuesday 7:32am**

[ Good morning! Hope you had a nice night with The Crush! ]

 

Isak smiles, but also rolls his eyes. Eskild is so caring and he loves that, but he moved away from home to not have to deal with awkward parent stuff. Isak writes a quick message back. 

 

**10:18pm:**

[ I'm fine. And stop being so damn embarrassing! ]

 

He smiles as he presses send. Even strokes Isak's hips slowly.

"Who are you texting with? Your mum?" He asks and Isak looks away from his phone to meet Even's eyes.

"No... my roommate" Isak smiles.

"Oh, okay. I thought you lived at home?" Even asks.

"No, I couldn't do that anymore. I just really wanted to live somewhere else, away from home. And the guy I live with now offered a room so I was like... why not?" Isak explains and sees the worry in Even's eyes as he mentions that his roommate is a guy. "Don't worry, he's like a brother to me and nothing more." He kneels down and gives Even's lips some soft, reassuring kisses before returning to his phone to answer Jonas' text messages.

 

**Jonas**

**Monday 4:17pm:**

[ Hey, wanna hang out? ]

**5:05pm:**

[ Hey! Still don’t wanna hang out? ]

**Tuesday 7:58am:**

[ Where are you? ]

**8:23am:**

[ Are you sick? Or did something happen? ]

 

Isak types a quick reply.

 

**10:20am:**

[ Sorry! I overslept. On my way now! ]

 

He puts his phone away and focuses on Even, who’s still sitting on the couch beneath him and looking up at him.

”I really should get to school, though…” He kneels down a bit, so their eyes are on the same level. He starts feeling it again, the heart beating faster and his breathing getting heavier. ”The faster I get to school, the faster I can see you again…” Isak teases him, but it’s actually true.

”Okay, then…” Even whispers and gives Isak the softest, longest kiss any of them could ever imagine. None of them wants it too end, but sadly it does.

”Bye!” Isak gives Even a quick peck on the lips and then he leaves.

 

The day goes pretty fast, considering it’s a Tuesday and it's Isak’s longest day of the week. Maybe it’s because his brain is not really there, it’s somewhere else. In his head, he's already in the coffee shop with Even. He can’t wait for the clock to hit 3:15, so he can rush to the other side of the street and start working. And suddenly, it’s as if the universe is on his side - the clock hits 3:15 and he can finally leave.

”You seem rushed…” Jonas says when they’re by the lockers.

”Yeah, uh, I gott get to work!” Isak says, his heart beating in his throat from stress and excitement.

”Oh… Even?” Jonas raises his eyebrows. They’re alone in the corridor for the moment, so they can speak freely.

”Yeah, uhm.. we’re working together. Nothing more…” Isak lies. He doesn’t want to make anything official yet, because he honestly doesn’t know where him and Even stand. Maybe they’re just going to hook up and then nothing more. Maybe they’re gonna just be ”friends with benefits” - a cuddle buddy when needed, someone to hook up with when they feel like it.

”Okay…” Jonas sounds a bit suspicious, but he doesn’t comment any further.

”See you tomorrow!” Isak rushes towards the door

”Have fun!” Jonas’ voice echoes behind him

”I will!” Isak glances over his shoulder as he walks out the doors and half runs towards the coffee shop. 

 

Isak almost rushes through the door when he’s going into the coffee shop. Even smirks at him when almost runs into the shop, panting from stressing the short walk from school to work.

”Hello! You seem a bit… stressed?” Even says, tilting his head a bit to the side as Isak stops at the bar counter.

”Yeah.. just a bit, uh late…” Isak lies and they both know the real reason he rushed there. Even would probably do the same, Isak guesses. Isak looks around in the shop, it’s empty thank God, then he leans in over the counter and Even knows exactly what Isak wants. Their lips collide with explosions of feelings, it’s like sparks fly and the whole world stops only for them. It’s just a few seconds, but it feels like eternity for Isak - a way too short eternity though, in his opinion. He’s been longing for this all day and it was totally worth waiting for. 

”Hello…” Even says, in a deeper, more sensual voice this time and it makes Isak’s heart race.

”Hey…” Isak looks away for a bit, catches his breath and then looks into Even’s eyes.

”Was school good?” Even asks, as the most casual question ever. 

”Fine! But not as good as this…” Isak says as he leans in over the counter again, smiling widely as their lips collide again - longer, more passionately this time.

”Get changed now and you could get some more of that once you come back”, Even says, flirty as fuck and it almost makes Isak melt through the ground. He quickly rushes into the locker room and changes into work clothes, throwing his bag in his locker on the way out. When he comes out Even is speaking with some blonde girl, so Isak walks out to clean the tables for a bit. He goes out to check if there’s some dishes to do and he even takes out some trash. They’re still talking when Isak comes back. After a while, though, customers start rolling in and the blonde girl disappears out the door. They’re busy until closing times, as the afternoon rush with people comes in. That night, Even is actually done early with his part of the cleaning.

”I gotta go now…” he says, a bit rushed.

”Okay…” the corner of Isak’s mouth slants a bit.

”But I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Even asks, almost at the door.

”Yeah!” Isak smiles, a bit sad that they aren’t leaving at the same time.

He watches as Even leaves through the glass door. Right when he’s about to turn left after the door, Isak sees how that blonde girl appears again. Their talking seems pretty calm, they obviously know each other pretty well. Then something happens that Isak doesn’t expect at all - they kiss. Isak’s heart drop to the floor, his throat tightens and the tears starts bubbling up in his eyes. He looks away, blinking the tears away as he continues what he was doing. Right now, he can’t meet Even’s eyes ever again. He doesn’t want anything to do with him. To be completely honest, he hates him. Isak wipes the tears from his eyes, right as he wipes the coffee machine clean. He finishes up as fast as he can.

 

That night he cries himself to sleep, trying his hardest not to think of Even - but it’s impossible. That tall, blonde-haired boy has infected his mind in so many ways. He dreams about him again, of course. All the softest kisses in the world, the touches burning his skin with passion, his fingers twirling a curl of Even's hair. Then it's as if it all switches completely, to Isak watching Even kissing a blonde girl. He doesn't know if this is really a dream, or just his mind summing up the latest things that has happened in his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **pls don't hate me!**   
> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a HUGE thank you for your comments, kudos and continued support :') <3
> 
> and, as always, a huge thank you two my two betas - the best one's there is: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

It’s been a week since Isak was last at work. He’s called in sick on every day he knows or suspects he was supposed to work with Even. Isak really loves his job as a barista in the coffee shop, but not when Even is there. Not anymore. He’s been so sad since last Tuesday, when his heart was broken by the only guy he’s ever felt real feelings towards. His only real crush. His deepest crush. How could he be so blinded by feelings, to not see that this guy is obviously playing with his heart? _I've been betrayed. Lied to. Used._ Isak sits down on his bed, his face buried in his palms. A knock on the door makes him flinch and wipe his face with his arm.

”Come in…” he sobs. Eskild opens the door and without saying anything, he just sits down next to Isak and hugs him tight.

”What happened?” he says, chin on Isak’s shoulder. Isak doesn't say anything, he can't speak even though he tries his hardest. Eskild let's go of him a bit, a hand still on his arm, and just looks at him. "It's okay, Isak... you can talk to me!" Eskild reassures him. Isak sobs and hesitates a bit before he speaks, not really knowing where or how to start.

"Even... he..." Isak starts, tears starting to fall down his cheeks again and he's forced to stop. He wipes them away and clears his throat before he continues: "I saw him make out... with a girl... outside work last week..." Isak sobs and Eskild hugs him again. "We made out... like just that morning and then he..." and Isak can't hold it back anymore, he just lets it flow. Eskild rubs his back, hugging him tightly as he keeps repeating:

"It's okay, it's okay..." in a low, soft voice. Isak hugs him back, the waterfall of tears making Eskild’s shirt soaking wet. They sit there for a long time, immovable. After a while, Isak's crying stops and after even more time passes they finally let go of each other.

"Are you hungry?" Eskild asks, moving back a bit on the bed.

"Yeah..." Isak wipes his face, trying to get rid of the last few tears still running down his cheeks.

"Pizza?"

"Sure..." Isak smiles. Eskild immediately leaves the room to order for them.

 

It's later that week, when Jonas and Isak are at the lockers at the same time that Jonas asks:

"How's it going between you and... well, you know..." he smiles awkwardly.

"Yeah... no, not that great. Something happened and..." Isak stops, putting his books into the locker.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jonas asks and before Isak can answer he continues: "I was gonna go eat kebab, but I would much rather not do that alone... maybe you wanna join? Kebab and boy talk?" and it makes Isak snort loudly, a wide smile spreading on his lips.

”Sure!" Isak closes his locker and they leave.

 

They sit down on a bench in silence, gazing over the big, green park where kids are playing football, someone is walking their dog and others are having a picnic. Isak starts eating his kebab, enjoying the food rather than talk about his problems. Jonas understands, he doesn't say anything, he lets Isak decide when to talk about it.

"He uhm..." Isak starts, but then stops for a few minutes to eat some more of his food. "...he kissed someone else." Isak tries his hardest to hold back his tears as he looks at Jonas, who's nodding silently. "We kissed that morning... or, well, the night before that morning too and... the next day at work, we didn't really talk and when he... when our shift ended, he left before me..." Isak takes a shivering breath, remembering how Even kissed that blonde girl. "...and when he walked outside, there was this blonde girl who he kissed. And since then, we haven't talked."

"Okay..." Jonas nods understandingly. "...but wasn't there some kind of misunderstanding, then? Would he really have kissed you if he wasn't interested?"

"Who knows? Maybe he just played me. He looks like the type of guy who would do that... the popular type, just using people to get what they want... a fuckboy..." Isak is bitter, his jaw clenching as he speaks.

"But how could you know, when you haven't talked to him?" Jonas says.

”I just… know, okay? You don’t know him… you haven’t even talked to him” Isak feels a bit offended, as if Jonas stepped over a line, but he also know how much of a truth his best friend just told. He hadn’t talked to Even about it, but at the same time he saw no purpose of meeting up with someone who evidently isn't interested in him anymore.

"Okay, well... if you need any more help, you know you can always talk to me" Jonas says, taking another bite of his kebab. Isak nods, as he silently continues eating. They talk about other things, about school and parties. After about two hours of talking and eating, they part ways.

 

Later that week, on Friday more precisely, and Isak sits on a bench outside school. He waits for his friends to finish their final lesson of the week, so they can go to the bowling alley. Isak ended his lesson earlier, so while he’s waiting he’s playing games on his phone. It’s not long before he gets bored, though, so he starts walking across the school yard and then back again. He does that a few times and then, as he makes another turn back towards the bench, he hears a familiar voice behind him. It makes him freeze. It makes his heart drop, his throat tighten, his heart beat anxiously fast and it makes him want to run, run far, far away from here. It’s Even. Isak starts walking away fast from the sound of Even's voice. He doesn’t want anything to do with him ever again.

”Isak! Stop! Please!” Even shouts after him and Isak can hear how he's getting closer, so he tries to speed up his walk. When he feels Even's hand on his shoulder, everything literally breaks for him. He turns around, his face red from anger, tears boiling up in his eyes, his heart beating fast, and without thinking, shouts in Even's face:

"I don't wanna talk to you! Leave me alone. I don't wanna hear your dumb explanations or stupid, false excuses. It's over. Whatever we had, it's over..." the tears start streaming down his face as he walks away from Even. He wipes them away. Isak reacted on impulse, he didn't even think about who might be looking on and wondering what the fuck is going on. When he looks around, there's thankfully not many people there. He glances over his shoulder - Even didn't follow him, which he thinks is good but it also gives him a feeling of guilt. What if what Jonas said was true? What if this is a misunderstanding? Though this is not about what Jonas thinks, it's about what he himself think. What he believes is the real thing to do in this situation. Isak's phone vibrates and he wipes the last tear away as he picks up his phone, sighing loudly and irritated at the name on his screen. He still reads the message, though. 

 

**Even**

**2:47pm**

[ Please, Isak. Let me explain. It's not what you think and I just wanna tell you the whole story. Nothing more. ]

 

_Nothing more? What's that supposed to mean?_ Isak is curious, he almost wants to turn around and run back to Even. He glances at him. He's pretty hot where he stands, talking to his friends and laughing at some joke. Even looks his way, but their eyes never meet. At that moment, Jonas comes out through the school doors closely followed by Mahdi and Magnus. Jonas follows Isak's gaze and then they both look at each other, Jonas giving Isak a meaning look but all he says is:

"Hey! Ready for bowling?" with a smile.

”Yeah, totally" Isak says, as he tries to forget about Even. The other boys can easily tell that he's distracted by something that afternoon, as Isak isn't the one who wins the bowling match - it's Magnus, which is very rare. It made him happy, though, which makes Isak happy too. Afterwards they stop by at McDonalds to eat. Magnus is having some wild conversation about the environment with Mahdi, Jonas is just listening. Isak is there, but his mind is somewhere else.

"What's up?" Jonas says in a low voice, nudging him softly.

"Nothing more than the usual..." Isak says, his eyes fixed on the table in front of him and his mouth in a frown. Jonas just nods, he doesn’t say anything more. He just understands that it's something Isak doesn’t want to talk about right now. 

 

Later that night, Isak anxiously looks at Even’s text message again when he’s alone in his room. He bites his bottom lip, as he carefully reads the words again. In a way, he doesn’t want anything to do with Even ever again. But in another way, he’s curious of how Even is gonna defend himself. How is he gonna explain himself? Isak swallows hard, as he starts typing.

 

**6:09pm**

[ Fine. Explain. ]

 

And Isak expects it to take at least five minutes for Even to reply, but it’s as if Even has been sitting and waiting for this text the whole day, as his reply to Isak comes instantly.

 

**Even**

**6:09pm**

[ Come over, then! ]

 

It sounds like a challenge to Isak, as if he wouldn’t dare to come over. And Isak does consider not going, but he’s too curious. He wants answers, he needs answers, no matter if he wants to continue dating him or not. Isak doesn’t even reply to Even, he just grabs his jacket, tells Eskild he’s going out somewhere and leaves.

The walk to Even’s feels long, though it’s just a five minute walk from his and Eskild’s apartment. He's only been there once, but he somehow memorised the way there. When he stands outside the door to the apartment builiding, his heart starts racing. He looks at the door for a few minutes, deciding if he should maybe turn back home or go somewhere else instead. Maybe this isn't a great idea? But he still wants answers, though, so he walks through the door and up the stairs to Even's apartment. He stares at the door for a minute, before he knocks. It's a few, anxious moments, and Isak almost walks down the stairs out the door, when Even finally opens the door. 

"Hi..." Even exhales, his face serious in the dim light.

"Hey..." Isak is stunned - Even is just as beautiful as he remembers him. The older boy invites him with a gesture and Isak is quick to follow him inside.

"Are you hungry?" Even asks, as he walks into the kitchen. This brings back memories from last time he was here. How Even made him food, they laughed, they talked, they had ice cream... they kissed... Isak snaps himself out of it, back to the present where he stands in the hallway of Even's apartment.

"Uh, I don't know..." Isak walks up to the kitchen, leaning against the doorway. "Not if it tastes like last time..." he teases Even and it makes the tall boy chuckle a bit.

"It's better than that, I promise" Even looks at him - and, oh god, it makes Isak warm inside out and he's forced to look away. It's funny how quick the tables turn - how Isak earlier today wanted nothing to do with Even, yet here he is now. He looks at Even, when the older boy is searching for something in one of the cupboards, and his eyes wander up and down the gorgeous boy's body. It's funny how, now, he want nothing else than to throw himself around Even's body, kiss him and hold him. He's not mad anymore, he's not even heartbroken. It's as if, when walked in through that apartment door his heart healed again.

"The only thing I can find to eat is noodles. That I can cook, that's a true fact!" Even turns to him with a big smile.

"Really?" Isak crosses his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows with a smirk playing on his lips. _Damn it, Isak, you're supposed to be mad - not madly in love!_

”Yes, or maybe we should order pizza instead?" Even says, as he walks over towards him. It makes his heart skip a few beats, his breathing getting heavier by the second.

"Yeah, if you don't wanna brag about your cooking skills today..." Isak laughs, swallowing hard through his tightened throat. _Shit. Why does he still have this effect on me?_

"Okay, then. Pizza it is!" Even squeezes past him, making Isak's heart stop for a few seconds, and walks into the living room and calls to order pizza for them. 

 

It's an hour later and they for some reason ended up on the living room floor, with the pizza cartons between them. Isak smiles at something funny Even said, as he takes another bite of his pizza slice. They finish eating up, clean up the mess they made on the floor and then sit down on the sofa. The radio plays softly in the background, as their knees gently touch on the sofa. Even reaches his hand out and starts twirling a strand of Isak's hair between his fingers. Their eyes meet as Even starts talking.

"About what happened that night, outside work..." he takes a shivering breath, before he continues: "...she's my ex, Emilie. There's nothing between us anymore. That night was just a misunderstanding and I know you saw it and probably thought something else." Even's hand gently moves over Isak's cheek, his fingers following the line of his cheekbone. 

"Yeah... but why did you kiss her?" Isak asks. He himself is immovable, though he loves how movable Even's hand is over his face, gently stroking every feature of his face. 

"I didn't. She kissed me. Just because we talked earlier that night, she thought we were gonna be something again. I was just being nice to her, asking her how she's been and what she was doing at the moment. She misunderstood me, so when we ran into each other again that night she just... went for it..." Even says. The description makes Isak laugh; _'went for it', yeah that's the least that she did! Her tongue was way too deep down Even's throat._ Isak recalls how his heart dropped, making him frown at the thought of Even kissing anyone else but him.

"Okay..." Isak bites his lower lip and looks down on the sofa. "...so, you're not like... in love with her, or anything?" He looks up to meet Even's eyes. The older boy lets out a little laugh.

"Oh, God no!" He smiles at Isak, softly stroking his cheek again. "She cheated on me with one of my best friends. I don't want anything to do with her anymore. I honestly don't know how she could misread my signals that much the other week, when she know how heartbroken I was when I found out what she had done..." Even's smile disappears, his face cold, hard. 

"I'm so sorry that happened to you", Isak lets his hand stroke Even's cheek gently and the smile on Even's face comes back, more genuine than before. Isak hesitates for a moment, but then he gathers all his confidence and does what he's wanted to do ever since he came here this evening. He leans in and closes the distance between them, his lips softly on Even's, his hands already at his hips. Even is the first one to pull away, a bit unwillingly.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Even asks and Isak just wants to shut him up with another kiss, but he stops himself.

”Yes! I have never wanted anything else more than this, ever in my life", Isak runs his hand trough Even's hair.

"I just... I don't want us to rush into anything..." Even bites his lip hesitantly.

"Okay..." Isak is a bit disappointed, frowning sadly.

"Hey..." Even gives him a peck on the lips "...let's watch a movie or something together?"

”Sure." Isak smiles for a brief moment. Even puts in a movie and when he comes back, he casually wraps his arms around Isak's shoulder, as he jumps closer. It's almost too close for Isak, his heart picking up an unnatural pace. He nods and smiles at Even and tries to breathe normally, though it's hard with this gorgeous boy next to him. 

 

It's past midnight when the movie ends.

”It was a good movie, wasn’t it?” Even smiles.

”Yeah, it really was. I don’t wanna be rude but… I should probably... go... Eskild must be worried and I do have school tomorrow..." Isak says with a sad tone.

"You don't have to go. You could stay..." Even suggests and places a kiss on Isak's cheek. Even leans against his shoulder. "This is nice, I like this.”

”Where do I sleep then? On the sofa, or is there like a… guest bedroom, or something?” Isak leans his head on top of Even’s. The older boy sits up straight, giving Isak a meaning look.

”No, silly!” Even says, and the way he calls him ’silly’ makes him roll his eyes fondly. ”We can share my bed, of course. Or we just put mattresses on the floor in here - like a sleepover? Which ever you prefer.” Even smiles and give him a peck on the lips.

”Well, it kind of is like a sleepover I guess… so in here?” Isak says, biting his lip.

”Okay, I’ll get the mattresses and everything. I’ll be right back”, and Even leaves him with a soft kiss on the lips. Isak starts walking around in the living room, looking at what kind of movies Even and his family has. All the James Bond movies, some different comedy movies, some animated movies and lots of TV show collections. After a while, Even comes back with a big, rolled up mattress and throws it on the floor, so it rolls out by itself. He leaves the room again and just a minute later, he comes back with two duvets and a few pillows. Isak takes two pillows and a duvet, placing them on the mattress.

"Uh, I'm gonna change into pyjamas. You need something too, come with me." Even says and he doesn't even give Isak a choice, he just grabs Isak's hand and brings him into another room, at the other end of the hallway. He gives Isak a soft push onto a bed and then Even himself spins around and opens a wardrobe.

"This is my room, by the way." Even glances over his shoulder at Isak, who nods as an answer. Isak looks around from where he sits. The walls are filled with a mix of drawings, movie posters and posters of some musicians.

"Cute!" The word just slips out of Isak's mouth. It makes Even chuckle.

"Cute?" He asks, giving Isak a sceptic look, eyebrows raised.

"Cool, I mean..." Isak coughs, his cheeks quickly turning pink. Even turns around with a pile of clothes on his arms.

"The two top pieces are for you..." he says and Isak takes the shirt and sweatpants. Even starts undressing and it makes Isak freeze, he can't move. He just looks at the tall boy's slim, perfectly sculptured body. Isak only wakes up from his daydreaming when Even pulls a shirt over his torso and the show is over. Then he quickly changes his clothes himself. Even turns around, a smirk playing on his lips and eyebrows raised.

"Ready for bed?" Even can't hide his smile any longer, his whole face shines up. Isak swallows hard.

"Yeah..." is all he says and it feels like he's gonna implode. It's as if his whole body shakes, inside and out. He's nervous, but also a bit excited - arroused, almost. These butterflies he feels in his stomach won't stop moving, no matter how hard he tries to calm them down. It's late, so as soon as Isak lays down on the mattress in Even's living room he falls asleep. 

 

He wakes up a few times during the night and somehow he has moved closer and closer to Even for each time he wakes up. When morning hits and he wakes up for real, he finds himself tightly tangled up with Even, his head resting on Even's chest. He doesn’t wanna move, he doesn’t want to go to school - he just wanna lay here all day exactly like this, while Even strokes his hair softly and whisper sweet words to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a huge thank you two my two betas - the best one's there is: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

It's a few days before Isak sees Even at school again. He remembers that night at Even's as if it was last night. It was probably one of the best nights in Isak's night, mostly because they slept next to each other. Isak smiles at the memory of waking up all tangled up with Even. When Isak finally sees Even again, it's from a distance. He would love to close that distance, right then and there at the school yard, though he doesn't know if he's ready for everyone to see and judge whatever he and Even has together. 

Even is beautiful, graceful where he stands, leaning against a wall. He's cracking some joke with his friends, making them - and other people who joins them - laugh loudly. It's like a movie scene, where everything goes in slow motion. Isak smiles at them and right at that moment, Even looks straight at him. Isak's jaw drops a bit in surprise. Even smirks, raises his eyebrows and then looks away, biting his bottom lip shyly. Isak has his eyes fixed on the older boy and until his view is suddenly blocked. He looks up at who decided to block the beautiful view he had.

"Hi!" Isak says in surprise.

"Hey!" Jonas smiles and joins him on the bench where he sits. "Even, huh?" Jonas gives him a questioning look, his eyes burning from curiosity.

"Uh, yeah..." Isak smiles and looks at Even again, the older boy still leaning against the wall.

"Everything good between you guys now? Have you talked to him?" Jonas asks. Isak looks at him with the biggest smile he can project.

"Yeah, everything's okay now. He explained everything, it was just some misunderstandings... it's solved now."

"That's great, Isak! So what's going on between you guys? Are you like... dating?" Jonas carefully asks.

"Honestly... I don't know and I'm too happy right now to really put a label on it... dating or not dating, we're good. To me, that's all that matters right now." Isak smiles softly, as he gazes the towards where Even was standing. He's still there, but now he's all alone and glancing nervously towards Isak.

"That's good. At least you both seem happy", Jonas says. Isak bites his bottom lip as he breaks the eye contact with Even to look down at the ground. "Go, Isak!" Jonas says and Isak looks up at him, confused. "I'm your best friend, I know you inside and out - and I see how much you wanna be with him right now, at this moment. So just go! It's okay!" He smiles at Isak. Isak knows it’s true, he really want nothing else than to be with Even right now. But he can’t, not at school. Jonas nudges him in the side, encouraging. Isak takes a deep, shuddering breath and stands up. He hears Jonas’ little ”Good luck” echo behind him as he starts walking across the school yard. The walk feels longer than it should, it’s like he never gets to Even. Though when he finally does, it feels like heaven. Just being close to Even makes Isak excited, aroused.

”Hi!” He says, standing just a feet from Even.

”Hey…” Even doesn’t look up. He looks a bit shy, standing awkwardly against the wall, scraping his shoe on the ground. It's weird, because Isak have never taken Even for someone who gets nervous. 

”Haven’t seen you in a few days…” Isak bites his lip hard.

”No, I was... busy. I worked and I had a lot of homework… I thought I would see you at work, though” Even meets his eyes and it makes Isak’s breathing speed up. He hasn’t felt this excited in a while, this bubbling feeling inside of him is overwhelming.

”Oh, okay. They didn’t need me at work this past week.” Isak smiles. ”Do you wanna, like, go somewhere?”

”Okay. Do you have anything special in mind?” Even smiles at him, as he stands up straight.

”Uh, I don’t know, just… anywhere but here” and Isak’s smile gets even wider.

”I know a place. Come on!” Even starts walking away from him, so he just follows. Isak gives Jonas one last look and gets a nod of approval from his best friend.

 

"Here it is", Even says and leads Isak in through the glass door with a gentle push. Isak looks up and it's an ice cream bar. "You did mention you like Ben & Jerry's, so..." Even does a gesture towards the counters with ice cream. Isak is a bit stunned, his mouth a bit open and body stiff. He's both in shock and thinks this is very cute of Even. How did he remember this? It's been weeks since Isak mentioned this.

"Yeah, I did", he smiles at Even.

"So, go ahead and choose your flavours. It's on me!" Even says, with another gesture towards the counter.

"Oh, okay", Isak smiles awkwardly, walks up to the counter and starts choosing what flavours he wants. Even is close behind him, his breath warm on Isak's neck, his body lightly pressed agianst Isak's. 

 

Even doesn't even ask before taking a spoonful of Isak's ice cream, he just digs in.

"Hey!" Isak says, a bit offended but his smile gives him away. He shoves Even's leg gently with his knee. Their legs are so close together, they keep bumping into one another. Every time Even adjusts his body, he touches Isak's and it makes the younger boy's heart skip way too many beats. Every time they touch it both kills him and makes him feel more alive. It's a weird mixture, but he loves it.

"If you wanted some of my ice cream, you could have just asked" Isak says, as he scoops up some ice cream and holds it in front of Even's mouth. Even looks at him with disbelief, but Isak just raises his eyebrows encouraging. The older boy shrugs and eats the ice cream.

"Yours is so much better than mine", he says after he swallows. 

"We literally chose the same flavours!" Isak laughs.

"Yeah, but yours still tastes better", Even smiles and moves a bit closer. Isak wants to move even closer, but he hesitates - what if Even doesn't want to? Their faces are so close, their eyes meet and Isak doesn't even hesitate now. He puts his spoon down, then he just leans in and lets his lips do the rest, softly moving over Even's. It's just for a few seconds, but damn - it's like heaven. Even smiles at him, as he leans back in his seat. Isak lifts his hand and strokes Even's cheek gently, his fingers moving up to the other boy’s hair. He twirls a curl of Even’s hair around his finger, playing with it as his eyes move over Even’s perfect face. The other boy isn’t meeting Isak’s eyes. Even looks as if he’s not quite there, as if he’s either dreaming or thinking about something very deeply.

”Hey…” Isak’s voice is soft as silk, his fingers stroking Even’s hair gently. ”What’s wrong?”

”Nothing, I’m just… thinking” Even smiles, though the smile never reaches his eyes. Isak strokes Even’s cheek.

”About?” Isak’s eyes are burning from curiosity. His eyebrows furrow a bit in worry - he might not know Even that well yet, but he can clearly see that something is worrying him.

”It’s nothing, really. I’m just overthinking, that’s all” and before Isak can say anything else, Even kisses him. He weaves their fingers together and the touch is almost a bit too much for Isak, it's a burning sensation on his skin. But they’re finally touching, they’re holding hands, this is insane. It’s unreal. He almost has to pinch himself - this is really happening. Isak squeezes Even's hand and instantly gets a squeeze in return. He looks down at their hands, neatly weaved together, and then at Even, who's smiling widely at him. Isak leans his head on Even's shoulder, happy and content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this chapter is so short, i promise the next one is longer!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **this chapter contains quite a lot of smut (two explicit sex scenes).**  
> 
> \--
> 
> as always, a huge thank you two my two betas - the best one's there is: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

Isak knocks on the door the Even's apartment. A voice yells _'Come on in!'_ so he just walks right in, quickly kicking his shoes off. He hears noises from the kitchen and his nose picks up the smell of food.

"Are you cooking again?" Isak's tone is a bit mocking as he walks into the kitchen. He wraps his arms around Even's waist, his head against the tall boy's back. He places a kiss right between Even's shoulder blades.

"Yeah!" Even smiles, stroking Isak's arms on his stomach.

"What's for dinner, then?" Isak peeks from under Even's arm.

"Soup. I found a good recipe for tomato soup, so I decided to make it for us", Even says proudly. Isak let's go of him and jumps up on the kitchen counter next to the stove.

"It smells good, at least", Isak says, hesitantly as he remembers the cheese toasties from a few weeks back.

"It tastes good too, I promise!" Even is a bit too proud in Isak's opinion.

"Really?" Isak is sceptic.

"Yes, it is good - I swear!" Even says. Isak sighs loudly, a smile on his lips:

"Fine, I trust you."

"Okay. Taste this", Even says, turning off the stove. He blows on a spoon full of soup and holds it up in front of Isak's mouth. The younger boy tastes it carefully. 

"It's good. Could maybe use some cardamom..." Isak teases him and it makes Even roll his eyes. 

"Okay, then, _boyfriend!_ " Even says, a bit offended, though the smile on his lips says otherwise. Isak is shocked:

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, isn't that what you are? What we are?" Even is a bit confused, he thought they were boyfriends by now.

"Boyfriend..." Isak tastes the word, a smirk playing on his lips. He bites his bottom lip and then he says: "I like it!" Even moves closer to him, his arms finding their way to Isak's lower back. Isak lays one hand on the back of the taller boy's neck, playing with the hair on the back of his head.

"Yeah?" Even gives him a quick peck on the lips. Isak nods and his lips meets Even's again, this time for a longer, slower kiss. His lips are still aching for Even's when he pulls back.

"So we're, like, official now, then?" Isak says, his nose brushing against Even's. The older boy shrugs:

"I guess so", and then he pulls Isak close, their lips locking in a long series of kiss. Isak pulls away for a second, but not for long - he hungers for more kisses, his body aching for Even's touch.

He jumps down from the counter and pushes Even against the closest wall, kissing his neck and down his body until Even's shirt is in the way. His lips move back up to his neck, their lips finally colliding again. Their breathing gets heavier with every breath, their breaths mixing as their lips collide again and again and again. Isak tugs at Even's shirt, his fingers gripping tightly at the shirt on his chest. Even swings them around, pushing him against the wall instead. Then Isak sees his chance, he slowly pushes Even against the sofa in the living room. They fall onto the sofa, Isak on top and he pulls his own shirt off quickly. His hands quickly starts pulling Even's shirt up and over the blonde boy's head. He stops for a minute and looks down on Even, questioning.

"What?" Even says.

"Nothing... I just wanted to see that you're okay. I know you wanted to take it slow", Isak bites his bottom lip.

"Yeah, but..." Even pulls Isak down into a kiss "...I don't know if I can take it slow anymore", he pushes Isak off him, forcing him to the other end of the sofa, climbing on top of him. Their lips collide again, passionate and hungry. Even's lips move down Isak's body, the younger boy moaning with every touch of Even's lips on his skin. Even moves up again, their lips meeting again. Isak moans Even's name, as the older boy leaves hickeys on his neck and torso. When Even suddenly stops, Isak frowns.

"No, keep going", Isak whimpers, pushing Even's head down without any success.

"Hold on, just a minute", he leaves Isak with a kiss, then disappears out of the room.

"Even..." Isak whines loudly, his whole being aching for Even to come back and continue what he started. He pushes himself up on his elbows and right then Even comes back, condom in one hand and lube in the other. 

"I didn't know you could be so whiny..." Even's voice is deep, sensual. He pushes him down again with a long kiss, putting the condom and lube down on the table. Then he continues where he stopped, his lips dancing over Isak's, to continue down Isak's neck. Isak tries to contain himself, he really do, but it's hard when Even's lips stains his skin, burn marks of passion. The further down his body Even moves, the worse it gets for him and when he can't hold it in anymore, he just moans loudly. Even stops kissing at the waistband of his jeans, gazing up at him, lips still on his skin, obviously teasing him.

"Go on", Isak moans, impatient for what's next. He knows what's next, he knows exactly what's coming and he can't wait for Even to slowly sink into him, for the two of them to become one. It makes his dick even harder, if that's possible - only being around Even can make him hard, arroused and horny as fuck sometimes. He's not looking - he doesn't dare right now - but he feels as Even continues moving his lips over his skin, and as the older boy unzips his pants, slowly pulling them down while trails of kisses paints his skin. Even's hands are hot against Isak's skin, as they move up along his body.

Suddenly, Even's lips meets his again, more and more passionate with every kiss. Isak pushes Even up a bit, his hands finding their way to unzip Even's pants and quickly pull them off. Isak pulls him down again, his hand slowly moving down Even's back, to find their way under his cotton boxers, his hand groping hard around Even's ass. He feels Even's fingers tug at the waistband of his boxers, slowly pulling them down. Isak copies what the older boy is doing, slowly stripping him of his underwear too. Even leans out to get the lube, soaking his fingers before he lets them slowly sink into Isak. He moves them slowly in and out at first, but soon quicker and quicker, making Isak groan louder at every push Even's fingers makes into him. When Even suddenly stops, only to lean towards the table to get the condom and some more lube, his body just aches for more.

He wants Even everywhere on him, doesn't matter what he does as long as their skin touch. Though right now, all he wants is his dick inside him, passionate kisses on the lips and Even's hands all over him. And it's not long until his wish is granted, Even's dick sliding into him, slowly, to soon pick up a faster, but still soft, pace. With every thrust, he feels Even sink further and further into him, Isak moaning Even's name louder and louder with every thrust. Even murmurs Isak's name against his neck, lips softly moving over his skin. Isak hates when Even suddenly pulls out, to adjust his body a bit, but then he finally continues, faster this time, until he finishes, both of them climaxing hard. Even pulls out, as Isak wraps his arms around Even's neck, pulling him down into a long, heated series of kisses. He brushes their noses together and then, without thinking, the words just slips out of his mouth in a whisper:

"I love you", he looks up at Even, who has his eyes closed. The older boy looks a bit shocked, his mouth a bit open, an unsure smile on his lips, as he opens his eyes slowly. He lowers himself and pecks Isak's lips.

"Say it again..." Even's voice is hoarse when he speaks.

"I...", Isak leans up to kiss him "...love...", their lips meet again "...you!" and for the third time, their lips collide, this time for a longer time. Even is the one who pulls away, his eyes locked on Isak's, a big smile on his lips. He looks a bit thoughtful, mysterious in a way.

"I love you too, Isak", Even says, his smile constantly present as he kisses Isak again and again. Even sits up straight on the sofa and Isak is quick to do the same, his arms quickly wrapping around Even's neck again. The older boy looks at him, questioning.

"Still want food?" he asks and Isak nods. He kisses Even's cheek before he lets his arms fall down. Even stands up, gathering their clothes. He throws Isak his clothes, which the younger boy instantly puts on. Even pulls of the condom he still has on, before he starts dressing himself. He starts walking towards the door, then turns his head, eyebrows raised:

"Are you coming?"

"Yeah, okay", a confused Isak stands up, following Even to the kitchen. He walks in as Even takes out two bowls from a cupboard and starts pouring soup into the bowls. Isak stands next to him, looking at the other boy swiftly ladling up the soup. Their eyes meet and Isak has to avert his, suddenly looking at Even got too much for him. He feels his whole face turn red, his heart picking up an unnatural speed and breathing heavy - it's been so long since he felt this way, he forgot what effect Even can have on him.

"Aw, did you become a bit shy now?" Even teases him and it just makes his face turn even more red if possible.

"Shut up..." Isak mumbles, pushing Even lightly with his hand. The other boy catches Isak's hand before he can pull it away, pulling him in and pressing their lips together. Isak feels as if he's burning up, as if he's literally on fire. Even pulls away just a second later, but the kiss stays on Isak's lips for at least a few minutes.

"Let's eat", Even smiles, carrying the two bowls to the kitchen table. They sit across from each other, Even watching his as he takes the first spoon of soup to his mouth. Isak carefully tastes it, not because it's hot but because he doesn't really trust that it tastes okay. He swallows and it actually tastes good. Isak meets Even's questioning eyes, the older boy's eyebrows raised at him. "Is it okay?" he asks, biting his bottom lip.

"Yeah, it's actually good", Isak smiles at him. 

"Oh, great!" Even smiles back at him. Isak looks down at the table, at their hands just millimetres apart. He can feel that the other boy is following his gaze, which leads to him doing the move - carefully touching Isak's fingers, to slowly intertwine their fingers. They look at each other, smiling widely. 

 

The next morning Isak wakes up with his head on Even's chest, their breathing calm and slow, in sync. Isak smiles and as he adjusts his body a bit, he realises Even's arms is wrapped around his body and it makes the smile on his lips grow even wider. He tilts his head to look at Even's soft, sleeping face. The smile on his lips doesn't fade away. He feels so happy, so lucky to be there right at that moment. Isak places one hand on Even's cheek, which makes Even flinch a bit.

"Good morning..." Isak's voice is soft as silk. Even smiles at the sound of Isak's voice, he stretches his body a bit and opens his eyes to let their eyes meet. 

"Good morning", Even says, his voice hoarse when he speaks.

"Slept well?" Isak leans up a bit and kisses Even's chin.

"Yeah, really well. You?" Even asks and Isak nods, as Even hugs him a bit tighter. "Thank God it's Sunday, we can stay in here forever if we want to!" Even smiles at him.

"Yeah, that's good. I'm really hungry, though", Isak's stomach start rumbling loudly just as he says that, making them both chuckle.

"Yeah? So what do you want for breakfast?" Even says, his nose brushing against Isak's hair. It sends nice little chills down Isak's spine, his whole body filling with goosebumps. He tilts his head up, nose nuzzling Even's neck.

"Right now I would honestly eat anything, as long as it's with you", Isak smiles, pushing himself up on his elbows, his chin resting in his hands. Their eyes meet and he leans in to let their lips meet. It feels like heaven, their lips softly dancing over one another's, Even's hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. He climbs on top of Even, their lips still pressed together. Isak let's his lips move down Even's neck, constantly moving down his body, only stopping to leave some hickeys on the older boy's skin.

"I thought you were hungry... like for breakfast", Even's voice is unsteady, his body shaking a bit as Isak's lips are pressed against his skin. Isak stops kissing at his stomach.

"Well I'm hungry for more than that..." Isak says with a cheeky smile. His lips move further down Even's body, only stopping when he reaches Even's boxers. He looks up at Even, who has his eyes closed and a constant smile on his lips. The older boy opens his eyes, eyebrows furrowed and nods at Isak to continue. Isak smirks, teasing the other boy, his lips just pressed against his skin. Even adjusts his body, a bit frustrated about Isak's lack of movement. He weaves his fingers in Isak's hair, tugging gently at his blonde curls in frustration. Isak still smirks, as he continues pressing his lips against the skin on Even's belly.

He pulls down Even's underwear painfully slowly in the older boy's opinion. Isak kisses Even's legs, moving slowly up his thighs, his lips leaving invisible prints on the other boy's skin. His hands moves up along Even's legs, to softly but firmly embrace Even's dick. The older boy moans loudly, his body tensing from pleasure. Isak places a few more kisses on Even's thighs, before he lets his mouth embrace Even's dick, slowly moving up and down. He gazes up at Even, who leans out from the bed to fetch something from the bedside table - a condom and lube and throws them Isak's way. Isak quickly wets his fingers with the lube, then slowly slides his fingers into Even, making the other boy groan even louder.

"Fuck", Even exhales. "Isak..." he moans softly, which makes the younger boy stop. "No, go on..." Even whimpers. Isak smiles, as his fingers move faster inside Even, deeper and faster with every push, his mouth and other hand still pleasuring Even's dick. He kisses Even's inner thigh, leaving a hickey behind as a memory. Isak puts the condom on, quickly pouring some lube on. When Isak finally sinks into Even, it's like a thousand fireworks explodes inside the young boy. His body just aches for more and more, and he's trying really hard to go slow at first, even though it's painful to stop himself, afraid to cause any kind of pain to his boyfriend.

Isak lowers himself, his lips meeting Even's in tender kisses, his teeth lightly biting Even's bottom lip. The older boy's fingers grip tightly at the hair on the back of Isak's neck, pulling him even closer. Isak thrusts hard, making both of them gasp loudly. He feels Even tense a bit under him, as if it hurt, though when he doesn't say anything, Isak continues, every thrust bringing him deeper into Even. Their lips dance over one another, fast at first, then slower and more sloppy. There's teeth biting lips, tongues wrapping around one another, kisses on the neck, hickeys. Isak murmurs Even's name against the other boy's neck, as he finishes inside him, an explosion of fireworks in his whole body. He collapses on top of Even, their eyes locked one each other. Even lets his fingers run slowly through Isak's hair, the younger boy resting on his chest.

"You're so fucking beautiful, Isak, did you know that?" Even's voice is soft as cotton, a little shaky when he speaks.

"I didn't know, no. Did you know that you're the most perfect guy I've ever met?" Isak rests his chin on Even's chest, his eyes still locked on the beautiful set of eyes in front of him. For the first time, Even averts his eyes, staring at something further away.

"I'm nowhere near perfect..." his voice is almost inaudible.

"Shut up!" Isak says, literally shutting Even up with a kiss. He smiles, which makes the older boy to smile too. "Let's get breakfast!" Isak brushes his nose against Even's.

 

It's a sunny morning, as they walk down the streets of Oslo to find some good breakfast. Their hands bumps together so many times and at one point Isak almost dares to weave their fingers together, though he restrains himself. He doesn't know if Even is ready for that step and he doesn't even know if he's ready for it. They did hold hands in the ice cream shop, Isak recalls, but this feels so much more public. They were practically alone in that ice cream bar that day.

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Even elbows him softly in the side.

"Anything, really", Isak smiles.

"Okay, so here then?" Even stops outside some coffee place that looks kind of cozy, it reminds a bit of their workplace.

"Yeah, this looks nice!" he follows Even inside. They walk up to the counter and order some coffee, tea, sandwich and egg & bacon. Even takes Isak's hand and leads him to a table, where there's a sofa that they can share. They eat in silence for a while, enjoying the breakfast and the company of one another.

"Hey... so, uhm, I have an idea for something I would like to do tonight", Isak says, still chewing some food.

"Yeah? What?" Even smiles, his hand on Isak's leg.

"It's a surprise... but are you free tonight?" he takes Even's hand from his leg and squeezes it gently.

"Yes, I am."

"Great! At 7? I'll wait outside yours and then we'll walk together?" Isak's voice is a bit high-pitched from excitement. Even furrows his eyebrows a bit, confused, but he trusts Isak. If it's something this young boy gets excited about, it must be something good.

"7 is great", Even kisses Isak's cheek. They finish their breakfast and after a long goodbye session, none of them really wanting to say goodbye and both of them wanting to be the last one to kiss the other, Even goes to work for a few hours and Isak goes home to study for a bit. Though Isak's study time more or less turns in to constantly thinking about and missing Even time.

 

Isak fidgets nervously on the zipper on his jacket, as he waits for Even to come down. He moves from side to side to keep warm. It's a bit cold outside, a chill night with a clear sky and light breeze, so it's easy to tell that fall is coming soon. It feels like Isak has been standing out there forever when Even finally comes out the door.

"Hello!" Even greets him with a quick kiss. They have kissed a whole lot these past weeks, it shouldn't feel like the first time anymore but yet that's exactly what it feels like. It's still as if this would be the first time their lips met, Isak's lips still aching for more when Even pulls away just a second later. His heart still beating faster and throat tightening at times when Even is near. Isak's whole body still feels as if is overheating sometimes when Even's hand strokes his. He swallows hard before he speaks, trying to rid of the shakyness he feels inside.

"Hey..." he smiles and when Even replies with an even wider smile, he melts inside.

"So... where are we going?" Even can't hide his curiousity.

"It's still a secret. Chill, Even!" Isak laughs and automatically weaves their fingers together as he starts walking. It's like an instinct, his hand belongs in Even's. 

"Sorry, I'm just a bit tense..." Even's face is obscure in the dark, only lit up by the dim streetlights, but Isak hints a shy smile on the other boy's face. 

"It's gonna be fine", Isak smiles widely at Even through the dark, squeezing the older boy's hand gently as they continue their walk. They soon enter a big park, usually filled with with people but now dark and empty, the only light coming from the streetlights along the paths and the moon above their head. Isak pulls Even out on the grass, away from the city lights and out on a big field. He can feel Even getting tense, so Isak just gently squeezes his hand and feels as the other boy relaxes a bit next to him. They keep on walking for another minute or two, before Isak stops and says:

"Here's good, right?" and looks at Even through the dark, and even though he can't really see the older boy's face, he can feel his confusion through the air. 

"I guess?" Even hesitates, "But what are we doing here, Isak?" Isak chuckles at Even's confused voice. He shrugs, then replies with:

"Star gazing, of course!" as if he's stating the obvious. Isak can tell Even is confused even though his face is barley lit up by the moonlight. "Don't worry, I got a cozy blanket for us to lay on". He takes off the backpack he's been carrying on his shoulders, unzips it and pulls out a huge blanket, placing it neatly on the dewy grass in front of them. "Don't be shy, lay down!" Isak encoruages the older boy and Even doesn't hesitate now, he just lays down. Isak smiles, as he too lays down, placing his head on Even's torso, his legs straight out. He smiles when Even places his hand on his chest and he starts stroking the older boy's arm softly with his fingertips.

"So, you're like a star nerd then?" Even says, an obvious laugh hiding in his voice. Isak smirks and gazes at Even's face in the dark, and even though he can't see much, the smile on the other boy's face could light up any dark space.

"I guess so", Isak lets out a short laugh, then he continues: "But don't you think it's fascinating with space? Like, all these stars, galaxies... that we're not alone in the universe, you know. We can't be, not with all this space. It's impossible" Isak says, very vivid and exciting.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess..." Even twirls a strand on Isak's hair around his finger, then lets go of it. None of them says anything for a while, Isak's fingers keeps wandering up and down Even's arm, Even's fingers playing with Isak's hair. They look up at the starfilled sky - it's beautiful, peaceful. Isak tilts his head a little to look up at Even, the older boy's face only lit up by the moonlight. Their eyes meet, both of them smiling, then he looks up at the sky again.

"Look! It's a shooting star!" Isak's hand shoots up towards the sky, his index finger pointing at a bright light moving in the sky. "Make a wish..." he glances up at Even with a bright smile on his lips.

"I wish for... us always being together", Even says with a low voice.

"You can't tell me the wish - then it won't come true!" Isak says, turning around on his belly, his chin resting on his hands on Even's chest.

"Oh my god... I didn't know you were superstitious too?" Even rolls his eyes.

"I'm not... it's just that... oh, never mind", Isak mumbles, not really knowing what he wanted to say, then he turns around on his back again. Isak starts playing with Even's fingers, intertwining their fingers loosely at times.

"Hey, I..." Even starts, but then hesitates, biting his bottom lip hard, obviously anxious. Isak looks up at him, placing one hand on his face, stroking his cheek lightly.

"It's okay, you can tell me anything", Isak's voice is soft when he speaks, his fingers tracing Even's jawline.

"I haven't been completely honest with you, Isak", Even says, his fingers twirling a curl of Isak's hair between them. The younger boy nods, turning around onto his belly again. His eyes meet Even's - the older boy's eyes worried, eyebrows furrowed. "I'm..." Even takes a deep, shaky breath, nervously playing with Isak's hair, before he continues: "...I'm... I'm bipolar", then he exhales slowly, staring up at the starry sky. Isak doesn't really know what that means. He's only heard about bipolar a few times in his life.

"Oh, okay", Isak says, then he's silent for a few minutes, just letting it sink in slowly. He feels Even's body tensing under him, so one of his hands wander up to the other boy's face, fingers lightly stroking his skin. "I won't leave you, you know... if that's what you're afraid of", Isak smiles at him and the sound of his voice makes Even flinch, but then he relaxes and strokes Isak's cheek with a smile playing on his lips.

"Thank you..." the smile on Even's lips is in full bloom now, beaming at Isak through the dark. Isak crawls further up, brushing his nose against Even as he reaches the other boy's face. He teasingly lets his lips brush against Even's, which makes Even sigh fondly.

"Stop..." he whispers, a bit annoyed and grips the hair at the back of Isak's head, pulling him in the last few millimetres to make their lips meet. Their lips dance softly over each other, though the smiles that grow wider and wider on both of their lips eventually makes it hard to kiss. Isak pulls away just a few centimetres, looking at Even's softly moonlit face.

"We will make this work, okay?" he says, stroking away hair from Even's forehead, then his fingers runs through Even's hair.

"Okay", Even pulls him down again, their lips dancing over one another for a few seconds before Isak pulls away and Even just pulls him in for a hug, Isak's head resting softly on his chest. They lay there for at least two more hours, Isak teaching Even everything he knows about stars and the sky above them. He points out more constellations in the sky than Even can remember. They have a good time, laughing and occasional kisses and hugs. It's probably more than two hours later when Even suggests that they maybe should head back to his place now. Isak agrees and they pack up the blanket and leaves, fingers weaved together, walking close together. They're almost home, when Isak stops. Since Even was so honest about his bipolar earlier tonight, he feels like he too should come clean about something he did.

"Okay, I have to say something!" Isak suddenly stops under a streetlight.

"Okay?" Even raises one eyebrow at him.

"You know that Instagram account you mentioned a while back? Peter Eriksen?" Isak says, an anxious feeling growing inside of him, his heart beating fast in his throat. 

"Yeah?"

"Well... that was... uhm, me!" His voice is more high-pitched at the end than he means to. Even starts chuckling and it makes Isak furrow his eyebrows in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Isak..." Even sighs "I had already figured out that it was you who were Peter Eriksen."

"How?" Isak raises his eyebrows, even more confused.

"You're such a bad liar Isak. When you told me that you didn't know who that account was, I saw right through you. But it's okay, I'm not mad", he strokes Isak's cheek with the back of his hand.

"Let's get inside now, it's freezing out here!" Isak says and the other boy agrees with a nod.

 

It's 2:30 in the morning and Isak still can't sleep. Even is resting his head on Isak's chest, sleeping safe and sound, his hand running through the older boy's blond hair. He tries to relax, think about nice, calming things, but his mind keeps wandering back to the same thoughts. Since Even told him that he's bipolar earlier that night, that's all that he can think about. He wants to know more, he needs to know more.

Isak picks up his phone from the nightstand and clicks up Google, typing in: "what is bipolar disorder?" He clicks up one of the first links, which states: "Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks." Isak ponders about this for a few minutes, trying to really understand what it means. And he thinks he gets it. That Even is sometimes very energetic and happy, which from what he read is known as mania, but sometimes he's very down and weary, known as the depressive state of this illness. Isak nods to himself, as he continues reading more for a few minutes, his fingers still playing with Even's hair, before he puts his phone away. He puts his arms around Even, pulling him in a bit closer, as he closes his eyes, slowly falling asleep. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, a huge thank you two my two betas - the best one's there is: [viki](http://tarjeiandhenrik.tumblr.com/) and [vany](http://cheekyeven.tumblr.com/) \- i honestly don't know what i would do without your constant support, help and honesty! without you two this wouldn't exist - i love you guys so much <3

When Isak wakes up the next morning, he feels quite energetic even though he may not have had the best sleep ever. And he just feels so free. It's as if all weights he had on his shoulders has finally lifted, flew away up towards the sky as birds and just disappeared beyond sight. It feels like everything in his life is somehow finally falling into place.

He turns around in bed, the touch of Even's hand around his waist not even coming as a surprise to him now. Isak looks at Even and he knows that the other boy is awake, the smile on his lips giving him away even though his eyes are closed. He cups Even's face, leans in to let their lips meet in slow, passionate kisses. Somehow he ends up on top of Even, still embracing his lips with his own. None of them wants to pull away, but when the air is almost out for the both of them they're forced to stop for a few minutes.

"Good morning!" he smiles down at Even. The older boy smirks at him, a cheeky look on his face. Just a second later he pushes Isak off of him, pinning him down on the bed, his lips quickly finding Isak's. The younger boy is a bit in shock, but Even's kisses wakes him up from it, his tongue wrapping around Even's.

"Good morning..." Even sighs when he pulls away, smiling fondly at Isak.

"Slept well?" Isak asks, his fingertips softly tracing Even's cheekbone, and the older boy just nods at him with a big smile. He pulls Even down to peck his lips with kisses a few times. The older boy falls down next to him, his arm around Isak’s body. Isak turns on his side, gazing into Even’s blue eyes. He smiles, his fingers moving along the hairline on the other boy.

“We should get ready for school…” Isak sighs, his fingers twining a curl of Even’s hair between them.

“We should…” Even grunts, his lips meeting Isak’s once again but this time just quickly. Neither of them says anything for a while after that, they just lay there, enjoying each other's company, their eyes never leaving the other one's, Isak's fingers still playing with Even's hair. None of them wants to leave bed, they just wanna stay on these pink clouds of love that they're in, but when the clock hits 7am and Even's alarm goes off they're snapped back to reality. They lean in for one last, short make out session, before getting up to get dressed and eat something quick for breakfast.

 

As soon as they leave Even’s apartment to walk to school, Isak weaves their hands together. They look at each other, both of them a beaming smile on their lips, as radiant as the sun shining above them on this chilly morning. Isak squeezes the other boy's hand, getting an instant squeeze back. The smile on his lips won't fade away - Isak is the happiest he's ever been, not a care in the world about what people would think if they saw him right now. When they're just outside school, almost walking in on the school yard, Even stops them, gently pushing Isak towards a wall, just out of sight from people outside the school. Isak furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

"You are okay with this, right? Because if you're not - and you wanna part ways now, before everyone sees us - it's okay. I understand", Even says, eyes worried and lips pressed together. Isak strokes his cheek, smile playing on his lips, as he says: 

"I'm fine with this. I want this... more than anything else", and then he pulls Even into a kiss, his arms wrapping around the taller boy's neck. His nose brushes against Even's as he laces their fingers together again. Isak holds his head high, very proud, as they walk onto the school yard. He doesn't even need to look, to see that people turn their heads when him and Even walk past. Isak spots his friends, sitting on their usual spot on a bench close to the school building, so he steers them in that direction. He sees the look on Magnus' face - shock at first, but quickly changing into approval - as they coming walking towards them. The other two boys doesn't look shocked - Jonas obviously already knew about this before and Mahdi just nods approvingly.

"Hello boys!" Isak says when they come closer.

"Hello!" the three boys say almost at the same time. Isak doesn't really know how to do this, - does he introduce Even? Does he need to be introduced? Isn't it quite clear what this is, what they are? - he's not really the best at introductions, so he just brings Even to sit next to him on one of the benches. It's a bit of an awkward silence for a moment, Magnus being the first one to break it:

"So, are you two like a... thing now?" it makes Isak chuckle - this is such a typical question for Magnus to ask.

"Yes! We're dating, we're together, we're boyfriends", Isak smiles, his eyes fondly on Even's face, one arm wrapped around the older boy's waist, the other one playing with his fingers, their bodies close together. He leans in to kiss Even, lips soft against one another, his lips aching - always hungry for more - when he pulls away just a second later.

"I really need to get to class..." Even nuzzles his nose against Isak's neck, his words only a murmur against the young boy's skin.

"Okay", Isak frowns, disappointed about not getting enough time with his boyfriend.

"But we're working together this afternoon, right?" Even smiles, trying to cheer Isak up. 

"Yeah!" A smile grows on Isak's face, their noses nuzzling one another. He doesn't even need to look at his friends, to know that they're looking at them with their jaws dropped. He leans in to kiss Even, with Magnus' low 'wooow' echoing in the background.

"Text me?" Isak says, when he pulls back, droopy eyes looking at Even.

"Of course!" Even smiles, giving his lips a few more pecks before he leaves. Isak watches Even's back, as he walks across the school yard to meet up his group of friends. He sighs, turning to his friends who still have jaws dropped and big eyes. They shake their heads, waking up to reality again.

"So..." Mahdi says, smiling.

"So?" Isak questions.

"You seem happy, lucky, satisfied", the other boy is still smiling at him.

"Very!" he dashes his widest smile, gazing with heart-shaped eyes towards Even. His boyfriend catches his eyes, smiling and blushing. Isak turns his head towards his friends again. Just a second later his phone vibrates in his pocket. It makes him smile even more, of possible, when he picks it up and reads the message.

 

**Even**

**8:22 am**

[ Fucking hell, you're beautiful! Love you <3 ]

 

Isak smiles, blushing from Even's compliment, the sounds of his friends voices saying they should get to class and asking why he's smiling is just background noises now. He's completely zoomed out from reality, only focused on the words on his phone screen.

 

**Isak**

**8:23am**

[ Shut up. You're the most beautiful, let's not argue about that. I love you! <3 ]

 

He tries to calm down, tries to get rid of the blushing sensation in his body, before rising up from the bench and joining his friends as they walk to class.

 

Even sends him lots of sweet messages during the day, just checking in on him.

 

**Even**

**9:43am**

[ I hope your day is going fine. I miss you! ]

 

**10:23am**

[ I can't believe you're mine! I'm so lucky! You're looking damn good today, especially when you lean against your locker like that. God damn it! ]

 

**11:15am**

[ Lunch together today? Your squad and mine? ]

 

Isak doesn't have time to read the messages until lunch, right before he sees Even and his squad outside school. Isak and his friends walk up to them, Even greeting him with a kiss. They all introduce themselves to one another, Isak finally learning the names of some of Even's friends: Mikael, Yousef, Elias, Adam and Mutasim and Even also finally gets to learn the name of Isak's friends: Jonas, Mahdi and Magnus - the last being the most excited one, hugging Even and talking a whole lot to him. After standing there for a few minutes, talking, joking and laughing, one of them asks what they're gonna eat.

"McDonald's? Or anyone got a better suggestion?" Jonas says and some of them shrug for answer, while some nods.

 

Isak tries really hard to restrain himself from being all over Even, but it's hard when they haven't been together for a few hours. All he wants to do is fling himself over Even, kiss him all over, stroke his cheek, play with his hair, with his fingers. It gets unbearable for him eventually, especially when they're seated next to each other in the fast food restaurant, so he very discreetly lays his arm around Even's shoulders, then lets his hand wander up to the other boy's hair, his fingers capturing a curl of Even's hair, twirling it tightly around his fingers. The older boy leans his head towards him, his lips very close to Isak's ear, whispering:

"You really can't keep your hands off me, can you?" placing his hand on Isak's thigh, squeezing it gently with a big grin on his face. Isak blushes, hiding his face in Even's hair, murmuring a silent 'No' into the blonde curls. When he looks up, he sees Jonas watching them with a fond smile on his lips and makes a large grin grow on Isak's face. He brushes his nose in Even's hair before the other boy sits up straight again, his hand still on Isak's thigh and Isak's still tangled up in Even's hair. Isak tries to join in on the conversation, but he fails - his thoughts are only on Even. But at least his friends seems to have fun with Even's - joking, laughing, telling silly stories. They all seem to enjoy each other's company and it's as if they're already a bit, cosy family. He smiles at the thought of them all together like this, it just feels so good, so secure.

"Oh, are you not gonna eat your fries?" the sound of Even's voice wakes him up to reality and he watches as his boyfriend steals a couple of french fries from his tray.

"I was gonna eat exactly those!" Isak says, offended, getting a teasing grin in return. Even pouts sadly and then offers Isak two of the stolen fries as peace offering. The younger boy smiles shyly as he takes the fries with his mouth, chewing them carefully as he gazes at Even. He quickly pulls in Even for a kiss after swallowing the food, soft lips moving over one another, warm breaths mixing.

"Is everyone done?" the sound of Magnus voice makes them break the kiss rapidly. Isak nods, flushing a bit over the fact that they probably all saw him and Even. Why does he still get like this? Blushing and all flustered. He should be used by now. Sure, he hasn't really been in public with Even that much - but somehow, he thinks he should be used to it by now. But he isn't. Question is, will he ever be? Or will it always be a bit awkward when someone catches them kissing? He ponders over these things as they all prepare to leave. Even takes his hand, knitting their fingers together and leads the way out and back towards school. 

When they have to say goodbye by the lockers at school, it's definitely the hardest thing both of them has ever had to do. Neither Isak or Even wants to say goodbye, they just stand leaned against Isak's locker. Isak plays with Even's hair as usual and Even fidgets a bit with the zipper on Isak's jacket. Their voices muffled as they talk about everything and nothing, occasionally whispering sweet words to each other, now and again giving each other quick pecks, soft kisses, long kisses... When Isak has twirled the same curl of Even's hair between his fingers at least a hundred times, Magnus is tired of waiting and physically drags Isak with him. 

"Text me!" Isak yells to Even and the older boy nods with a smile. "So fucking rude, man..." he murmurs at Magnus and the other boy responds with a cheeky smile. 

 

It's been a long time since they worked together, so Isak is excited to finally work with Even again this afternoon. His phone buzzes, for what's probably for the tenth time today, during the short break he has between biology and his last lesson, chemistry. 

 

**Even**

**2:14pm:**

[ Do you want me to wait for you? ]

 

Isak recalls Even saying his lesson ended at two, but it's over an hour until he himself finally finishes school for today.

 

**Isak**

**2:15pm:**

[ Only if you want to. I don't finish until 3:30 though ]

 

**Even**

**2:15pm:**

[ It's fine. I'll be in the library studying. You can come over there when you're done. ]

 

He just types a quick 'Okay' back and rushes to his lesson.

 

Isak tries to be silent as he walks into the library an hour later. It's hard for him, though, when all he's aching for right now is his boyfriend. He looks around and sees a familiar, blonde head and back, that he would, without a doubt, recognise in any crowd. Even is sitting with someone, classmate or friend, talking and it doesn't look like they're doing much studying. He sneaks up on him, wrapping his arms around Even's neck. Isak kisses his cheek softly, whispering:

"Hi... did you miss me?" with a wide smile. Even is a bit startled, but a smile quickly grows on his face. 

"Hey!" He lays his hands on Isak's, as he continues: "I always miss you, silly", and it makes Isak roll his eyes. He loosens his grip of Even a bit, so he can look at the older boy's face. The guy that's sitting next to Even just looks at them.

"Oh, sorry... uh, this is Martin. We have a project in Norwegian together right now", Even says with a gesture towards the other guy. Isak takes Martin's hand and shakes it as he introduces himself.

"I've heard a lot about you", Martin says.

"Really? Only good things I hope?" Isak says with a smirk, looking at a cheekily smiling Even.

"Mostly..." Even rolls his eyes. Isak let's out a laugh and kisses Even's cheek, nuzzling his nose against his neck before he pulls back a bit.

"Are you ready for work now?" Isak lets go of Even. 

"Yeah, totally. Let's get out of here!" Even smiles, as he starts gathering his stuff that are spread out all over the table. They say goodbye to Martin and leave. It's not until they're on the schoolyard, their fingers slowly intertwine. Isak comes to a halt and pulls Even close, letting their lips meet. It's like they're finally saying hi for real. 

"Did you have a good day, then?" Even asks a few minutes later when they start walking again.

"Yeah, it was fine. A bit boring, maybe, chemistry isn't really as fun as biology but it's okay." Isak smiles and Even nods for an answer, just as they reach the coffee shop.

 

It's quite calm at the coffee shop this afternoon, which is unusual but it gives them lots of time to chit-chat. Sometimes they stand really close, their hands touching or fingers losely intertwined. And at one point Isak sits on top of one of the counters with Even pushed against his legs, Even's hands on the counter on each side of Isak's body. 

"You know when we first started working together..." Even says and Isak hums as an answer, as he recalls the first anxious days of them working together. "...why did you, like... avoid me? I thought you hated me for some weird reason. Did you? Hate me?" his eyes searches for Isak's, but the younger boy looks away. Isak is a bit embarrassed, because he never hated Even. The real reason why he ignored this boy is so embarrassing to him. He feels bad for it and he can't imagine how Even feels about it. Even bites his bottom lip hard and averts his eyes a bit to the left. Isak finally looks at Even and sees how worried the other boy looks. 

"Hey, I..." he lifts one hand, placing it on the back of Even's neck, his fingers starts fidgeting with the hair on the back of the other boy's neck. He swallows hard before he continues, stuttering: "...I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I didn't hate you. Quite the opposite, actually. I had - still have, to be honest - the biggest fucking crush on you. I couldn't be around you, it was too much, I couldn't breathe. That's why I avoided you. I've never hated you... you're the most beautiful guy I've ever seen - inside and out", a smile grows on his lips and it's contagious, making Even smile too. Isak's eyes move between Even's lips and eyes, both wanting to kiss him and also just look at his beautiful eyes. He's about to lean in a little closer when the door into the coffee shop opens, making them both flinch and forcing them back to reality.

"I'll take care of it..." Even leans in a bit closer, their lips just grazing over one another as he moves away. Isak watches him from afar, as many times before. His eyes move up and down Even's body, as the taller boy prepares two mugs of coffee and some sandwiches. He stops at times, to let his gaze linger on parts of Even's body that he finds more attractive; his hips, his collar bones, his eyes, his lips... Isak could make a long list about all the things he likes about Even. He is very nice to look at, it's hard to look away once your eyes have found Even's body.

 

When it's time to clean, and they're finally alone for real, it's hard for them to keep their hands of each other. Isak's hand keeps wandering back to any part of Even's body that he can find - grabbing his ass, his hips, his arms.

"Hey - hands off!" Even shouts, slapping Isak's hand as the younger boy grabs his ass. "One more time, Isak, I swear..." he threatens Isak, the smirk playing on his lips toning the seriousness down. Isak does the same thing again just seconds later, his hand on Even's butt.

"You swear? Swear about what?" Isak teases him.

"I swear..." Even says, gripping the shirt on Isak's chest, pushing him backwards. His lips grazes Isak's, teasing the younger boy as his back hits the bar counter. Isak looks into his eyes, getting lost in his beautiful, blue eyes - it's like sailing on the sea on a calm, cloudfree, sunny summer evening, when you have no conception of time and you never want this day to end. Even grabs his thighs, lifting him up on the counter, placing himself between Isak's legs.

"Shit!" Isak whispers, surprised.

"You weren't ready for that, were you?" Even smirks.

"No, not at all", he smiles, arms wrapping around the tall boy's neck, pulling him closer, their lips slowly, softly pushing together. Isak lets his tongue slip into Even's mouth, their tongues dancing around one another, tasting each other carefully, slowly. His fingers tugs on the hair at the back of Even's head, wanting him even closer, and the older boy responds by pulling him closer, hands on Isak's lower back. Even plays with the waistband of Isak's jeans, wandering down, as he pulls back a bit to speak. 

"What do say we finish up quickly and continue this somewhere else?" He raises his eyebrows at Isak, pecking his lips.

"Yes, please", Isak begs, his leg fondling the back of Even's. "My roommate isn't coming home tonight..." he says, sly smile on his face.

"Really?" Even says, raising his eyebrows again. Isak nods as he averts his eyes, biting his bottom lip a bit shy.

"Maybe we should keep cleaning. The faster we clean, the faster we can do more _fun_ things..." he puts emphasis on the word fun, and he knows that they both know exactly what he means by that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna say **A HUGE THANK YOU** to all of you who have read this story! thank you for all your kudos, comments and constant support, it means the world to me and i love all of you so much  <3333


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